Yugi's Chibi Dilemma
by Shinimegami5
Summary: (COMPLETED) The Dark Magician has come to life...and he's a chibi! He's chosen Yugi to be his mother, so Yugi has to take care of him! But what happens when Yugi starts to fall for the little mage? Hints of YugixDark Magician. R&R!
1. A Small Presence

Shinimegami: Yay! My first shounen-ai ficcie! Hope you like!  
  
Yugi: What's the pairing?  
  
Shinimegami: *whispers into Yugi's ear*  
  
Yugi: Me and my Dark Magician?!?!  
  
Shinimegami: Why not?  
  
Yugi: *blushes* Uh...  
  
Shinimegami: Okay, now before we begin, I have something to say to all the people who have written Yugi/Dark Magician fics. I got this idea ON MY OWN. Therefore, I DID NOT, I repeat, DID NOT steal the idea from your stories! So don't flame me saying I copied your story. Thank you.  
  
Bakura: Are we going to start the fic now?  
  
Shinimegami: Yep! It's starting.......now!  
  
Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, but if I did, Bakura would be mine! ^.^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Yugi, when did you say your friends were coming over?" asked Yugi's grandpa.  
  
"They should be arriving soon," replied Yugi. "It's almost 5:00."  
  
Yugi walked into his living room and sat down on the couch. His friends were coming over to do a little homework. And knowing how bad Joey was at a few subjects, they "study party" idea was a good one.  
  
//Joey isn't that bad, is he?// Yami asked through their mental link.  
  
/You'd be surprised,/ said Yugi. Just then, he heard the bell ring in the front of the Game Shop.  
  
"It's probably them, Grandpa!" called Yugi, walking towards the shop. He found Joey, Tristan, Téa, and Bakura at the counter.  
  
"Hey, Yuge!" greeted Joey.  
  
"Hey, you guys," Yugi said. "Ready to get started?"  
  
"Sure," said Tristan. "Joey's gonna need all the help he can get!"  
  
"I do not!" shot back Joey. Everyone stared at him. "Okay, maybe a little..." The rest of the gang laughed and made their way up to Yugi's room.  
  
"Let's see what you've got so far, Joey," said Yugi when they all settled down.  
  
"Uh, okay," said Joey, taking out his papers. "Well, I haven't started these two.... Oh, and I only put my name on dis one..." Everyone groaned.  
  
"We've got a long way to go..." sighed Yugi.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Wow, I can't believe all that took three hours to do," said Téa when they had finished.  
  
"Yeah, I thought we'd get it finished in a shorter time," Bakura said.  
  
"We probably would have if a certain someone hadn't kept getting confused on the homework questions," teased Tristan.  
  
"I got it done, didn't I?" Joey said. They gathered up their notebooks and textbooks and headed downstairs.  
  
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Yugi said as his friends left out the shop door.  
  
"Sure, Yugi," said Joey. "So we'll all meet at the mall tomorrow?" They always tried to make plans for Saturdays.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Yugi. His friends waved good-bye as they left and Yugi shut the door.  
  
"You seem tired, Yugi," noted his grandpa as Yugi walked through the living room.  
  
"That's because I am," said Yugi. He noticed a piece of paper near the stairs, picked it up, and looked at it.  
  
'Joey's science homework,' thought Yugi. 'I guess I'll give it to him tomorrow at the mall.' He put the homework on the coffee table so he would remember to take it the next morning. After all, Joey had worked a whole hour on it, and would be crushed if he failed science. Yugi yawned and walked upstairs.  
  
"I'm going to bed now, Grandpa," said Yugi. "Good night!"  
  
"Sleep well, Yugi," his grandpa called back. Yugi closed his bedroom door halfway and walked over to his bed. He placed the Millennium Puzzle on his bedside table and plopped down on the bed fully dressed.  
  
//Good night, Aibou,// said Yami.  
  
/G'night,/ said Yugi. Worn out from all the homework, Yugi turned off his lamp and quickly fell into a deep sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
About ten minutes after Yugi had fallen asleep, a cold feeling seemed to sweep through his room. Had Yugi not been in such a deep sleep, he would have noticed the card on top of his Duel Monsters deck start to glow brightly. It slid onto the floor and glowed even brighter. Suddenly, the duel monster it contained emerged. It was the Dark Magician.  
  
But there was something completely different about him. He looked only two or three years of age. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and looked around. He spotted the half-open door and wandered out to the upstairs hallway. The toddler nearly fell when he came to the stairs, but managed to make his way down them to the living room.  
  
The first thing the little Dark Magician noticed was Joey's science homework sitting on the coffee table. Curious, he picked up the paper and accidentally ripped it a bit. He stared at the rip and made another one. Finding it fun, the magician began to rip up the homework until it was nothing but little shreds of paper.  
  
The chibi duel monster then made his way into the kitchen. He was amazed at how huge everything was and wanted to explore it more. After opening a few cabinets near the floor, he soon discovered the pots and pans. He got curious once more, like all chibis do when they see pots and pans, and tried to pull one out from the middle of the stack. He pulled harder and all the pots and pans fell out with a loud clang.  
  
Upstairs in his own bedroom, Yugi's grandpa looked up instantly from his book after hearing the noise. Thinking it was a burglar, he left his bedroom and picked up a baseball bat leaning against the wall outside Yugi's room. He wouldn't allow any harm to come to himself and his grandson.  
  
"Who's there?" he called, making his way downstairs. The chibi magician seemed to panic and got up off the kitchen floor. He attempted to run past Yugi's grandpa, but the man heard him. Yugi's grandpa swung the bat low, aiming to hit the crook's legs and knock him over. The little magician was knocked across the floor and into the foot of the stairs. He whimpered and then started to cry.  
  
Back upstairs, Yami awoke in his soul room and emerged from the Millennium Puzzle.  
  
"Yugi," he whispered, gently shaking the boy. "Yugi, wake up." His aibou slowly woke up.  
  
"What is it, Yami?" Yugi asked sleepily.  
  
"Something's happening downstairs," Yami replied. "I think Grandpa's down there, too."  
  
"Is something happening to him?" asked Yugi, worried for his grandpa's safety. He jumped out of bed and ran out of his room with Yami behind him. Both of them were unaware of the empty duel monster card on the floor.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shinimegami: *is seen banging her head against the wall repeatedly*  
  
Téa: What's with her?  
  
Yami: She doesn't think people will like her fic.  
  
Yami Bakura: What's the big deal? It's just a fic.  
  
Yami: Yes, but it IS her first shounen-ai...  
  
Bakura: *tries to get Shinimegami to stop hurting herself*  
  
Shinimegami: *groans* Oh man, I got a headache...  
  
Tristan: I'm not surprised.  
  
Bakura: People will like this story, Shinimegami, don't worry.  
  
Shinimegami: I guess you're right. After all, this is only the first chappie...  
  
Bakura: That's the spirit! ^__^  
  
Shinimegami: Thanks, Bakura. *huggles Bakura* ^.^  
  
Yugi: How could you do that to my Dark Magician?!  
  
Shinimegami: What? Turn him into a chibi?  
  
Yugi: Well, yah, that and you hurt him!  
  
Dark Magician: I didn't like that part.  
  
Shinimegami: Aren't you supposed to be a chibi right now?  
  
Dark Magician: Oh yah. *suddenly turns into a chibi*  
  
Joey: YOU LITTLE MONSTER!! YOU DESTROYED MY SCIENCE HOMEWORK!!!  
  
Chibi Dark Magician (C.DM): *immediately jumps into Yugi's lap and tries to hide under his shirt*  
  
Yugi: *blushes a deep red*  
  
Shinimegami: Well, I REALLY hope all you readers enjoyed it so far. I PROMISE they'll get better. My first chapters are usually always a little, well, bad. If I get enough reviews, I'll post the next chappie! See ya then! ^.~ 


	2. Kurai

Shinimegami: WOAH! I already have 16 reviews for the first chappie!  
  
Bakura: That's good. ^_^  
  
Shinimegami: Oh, and I'd like to thank all the reviewers who sent in suggestions for the name of the chibi Dark Magician. Hehe, it seems I found a good name all on my own!  
  
Tristan: So their efforts to find a good name were wasted?  
  
Shinimegami: No! I never said that! They were all good names! So, all of them get candy! ^.^ *gives all the reviewers candy*  
  
Yugi: So, what's his name going to be?  
  
Shinimegami: You'll find out in the fic.  
  
Yugi: Okay.  
  
Shinimegami: On with the second chappie!  
  
Disclaimers: Don't we all wish we owned Yu-Gi-Oh?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Grandpa, what happened? Are you okay?" called Yugi as he and Yami ran down the stairs. They saw Yugi's grandpa kneeling next to the couch, as if trying to coax something out. He looked up as Yugi and Yami stopped near the foot of the stairs.  
  
"Yes, Yugi, I'm fine," he replied. "I heard a noise down here so I came to see what it was. It seems that a child found his way into our house."  
  
"A child?" questioned Yugi. "Is he alright?" His grandpa frowned and lifted the baseball bat.  
  
"I thought it was a burglar at first, so I tried to get him with this," he said. "The poor thing hit the stairs pretty hard. I saw him go behind the couch after I turned on the lights, but I didn't get a good look at him."  
  
"Let me try," Yami offered. He walked over and knelt down next to the couch as well. "It's alright, no one's going to hurt you," he said, reaching behind the couch. There was a sound that sounded like metal hitting against flesh and Yami cried out in pain.  
  
"Something hard hit my hand!" he said, looking at his hand. It looked a little red. Yami growled and reached behind the couch again.  
  
"I think I've got him," said Yami. "Whatever this kid is wearing, it sure is cold and hard." They heard a whimper and Yami pulled the child out from behind the large piece of furniture. All three of them gasped.  
  
"The...the Dark Magician?!" Yami exclaimed. "H-how is that possible? And...what's happened to him?" The frightened magician whimpered again after looking at Grandpa and Yami. When he looked over at Yugi, however, his expression seemed to brighten.  
  
"Okaa-san!" cried the little mage. He struggled free of Yami's grip and ran over to Yugi.  
  
"Mother?" questioned Yugi as the chibi flung his arms around his waist. His little duel monster looked up at him with big blue eyes. (A/N. They're blue, right? Or are they green? I don't know!)  
  
"Okaa-san, he huwted me," he said, pointing at Grandpa with his little staff. Yami and Grandpa couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the magician. That only made the child hug Yugi closer. Yugi quickly let the shock settle in and smiled down at him.  
  
"It's okay," Yugi soothed. "Grandpa didn't mean to hurt you, did he?" His grandpa smiled and shook his head.  
  
"Of course not," he said.  
  
"See?" said Yugi. "You can trust him. It was all a big misunderstanding." The little one looked up at him with a slightly confused expression. Yami chuckled.  
  
"I don't think you should use big words around him like that," he said, causing his aibou to blush slightly.  
  
"What do you think's happened to him?" asked Yugi. "He looks only three years old!"  
  
"I don't know," said Yami. "I've never experienced anything like this before." A yawn suddenly escaped the little Dark Magician's mouth.  
  
"I think you two should stop worrying about this and get some sleep," suggested Grandpa. "It looks like the little one needs it."  
  
"Grandpa's right," said Yami, also yawning. "It's pretty late."  
  
"You boys go on up to bed," said Grandpa, noticing the pots and pans on the floor. "I'll clean up the kitchen.  
  
"Looks like you were having some fun," Yugi said to the chibi. He giggled and nodded, letting go of the boy's waist. As Yugi turned around to the stairs, he suddenly noticed the little shreds of paper on the coffee table.  
  
"Oh no!" Yugi cried, rushing over to the table. "Joey's science homework! What happened to it?!" The chibi magician appeared to see what was wrong and seemed to realize it was his fault. He walked over to Yugi.  
  
"I sowy," he said quietly. Yugi looked at him and sighed.  
  
"It's okay," Yugi said. "I guess I could just let him copy my science paper, since we have the same teacher." Yugi took the toddler's hand and walked towards the stairs.  
  
"I'll see you in the morning, Aibou," said Yami, and disappeared from the room.  
  
/Lucky,/ said Yugi mentally, beginning to walk up the stairs. /You can just go straight to your soul room./  
  
//I guess it pays off being stuck in a puzzle for five millennia,// Yami said teasingly. //Good night.// The small voice of the Dark Magician broke Yugi's thoughts.  
  
"Okaa-san, where we go?" he asked, taking each step of the stairs slowly.  
  
"We're going to bed now," replied Yugi. "Um, would it be okay if you just called me Yugi?"  
  
"Otay, Yugi," said the tiny mage. When they reached Yugi's room, Yugi knelt down in front of the chibi.  
  
"You probably won't be able to sleep with all that armor on," he said. "Would you like me to take it off for you?" He nodded and Yugi took off the magician's top armor and helmet.  
  
"Personally, I don't think three-year-olds should have to wear heavy armor like this," Yugi said, feeling how heavy it was. After he set it in the corner of his room along with the small staff, Yugi picked up the chibi and set him down on his bed.  
  
"You know, you need a good name," said Yugi, taking off his shoes and jacket. "Would you like a name?" The magician giggled and clapped, showing he wanted one.  
  
Yugi thought for a bit. He wanted a good name for his little Dark Magician. Nothing too hard, but nothing too simple.  
  
"How about Kurai?" asked Yugi. "Would you like to be called Kurai?"  
  
"Otay!" he said, smiling brightly. Yugi felt his heart soften at the chibi's face.  
  
"Alright, you can sleep in my bed for now," Yugi said. "I'll go get a sleeping bag for myself." Yugi was about to get up, when Kurai grabbed his arm.  
  
"Yugi..." said Kurai in slight protest.  
  
"You...want me to stay with you?" asked Yugi. Kurai nodded and hugged the boy's waist once more. Yugi sighed and pulled back the covers. He climbed into the bed with Kurai still clinging to him. Yugi laid down and Kurai snuggled closer to him. Pulling the blankets over them, Yugi draped an arm around Kurai's small body. Before Yugi fell asleep, a thought came into his mind.  
  
How was he going to explain what happened to Joey's science homework?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shinimegami: Was that good? Tell me that was good. That was good, right?  
  
Yami: Don't be so tense.  
  
Shinimegami: I can't help it!  
  
Tristan: Hey, what does "Kurai" mean, by the way?  
  
Shinimegami: It means "dark." I thought it would go well with a chibi Dark Magician, don't you?  
  
Joey: But I thought "Yami" meant "dark."  
  
Shinimegami: Some Japanese words mean the same thing. I was also thinking about naming the chibi Murasaki.  
  
Téa: What does that mean?  
  
Shinimegami: It means "purple" or "violet." It would've done well, but I figured it was a little long and kinda hard to pronounce for the little guy.  
  
Joey: By the way, where is he? That little monster ripped up my science homework! I have a score to settle with him!  
  
Kurai: *snuggled up in Yugi's lap*  
  
Yugi: Shush! He's sleeping.  
  
Joey: Oh, sorry.  
  
Shinimegami: Well, I hope all you people liked the second chappie! It'll get even better! Until the third chappie, ja ne! ^.~ 


	3. Secret Revealed

Shinimegami: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!  
  
Iris (my chibi Harpie Lady SB): And I is wit hew! ^.^  
  
Shinimegami: My little Iris-chan! *huggles Iris*  
  
Joey: I forgot you had Iris.  
  
Bakura: You have a bad memory.  
  
Joey: Ehehehehehehe.  
  
Shinimegami: *goes onto FF.net and looks at her reviews* Woah!  
  
Bakura: What is it?  
  
Shinimegami: I have 43 reviews for this story!!  
  
Tristan: That's pretty good.  
  
Iris: Shinimegami wites goowd!  
  
Shinimegami: ^.^ Anyway, I finally got the third chappie up! Hope you all like! And don't worry, crystal crittenden, your wish will soon come true... Now on with chappie #3!  
  
Disclaimers: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, Bakura would be mine, Pegasus' toon monsters would explode, and Harpie Ladies would rule the earth! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Yugi! Yami!" called Grandpa from the kitchen. "Wake up! Breakfast is ready!"  
  
Upstairs in his bed, Yugi slowly cracked his eyes open and yawned. He wondered why he felt so tired, when he remembered the night before. Kurai was still snuggled up to his chest. Yugi smiled. Suddenly, there was a soft glow and Yami appeared next to the bed.  
  
"Need some help?" Yami offered. Yugi seemed to hesitate before nodding. He moved Kurai with him as he sat up. Yami gently supported Kurai as Yugi slipped off the bed. Yugi quickly put on his shoes, jacket, and the Millennium Puzzle and went back over to Yami and Kurai.  
  
"That was fast," said Yami. They heard Kurai stir and the little magician opened his eyes.  
  
"Hey, Kurai," said Yugi, gently. "Sleep well?"  
  
"Yep!" Kurai said happily. "I sweep well." He smiled and hugged Yugi around his middle.  
  
"Are you boys coming?" called Grandpa again. "Or do I have to drag you two out of bed?"  
  
"We're coming, Grandpa!" Yugi called back. He turned to Yami. "He might have forgotten about Kurai."  
  
"He'll remember once he sees him," said Yami. "But Yugi, there's something I wanted to ask you."  
  
"What is it?" asked Yugi.  
  
"How are you going to explain to Joey that his homework was ripped up by a duel monster?" Yami asked. Yugi paled.  
  
"Oh, I forgot about that," he said. "I guess I'll just have to explain it to them. I'll probably have to show them Kurai for them to believe it, though."  
  
"Probably," said Yami. "Well, you should go down to eat something, aibou. I'll be in the puzzle if you need me." With that, Yami disappeared into the puzzle. Just then, Yugi looked down and saw his empty Dark Magician card on the floor. He picked it up and looked from it to Kurai.  
  
"I guess that means you really are my Dark Magician," Yugi said quietly. He quickly thought of something else to say. "Are you hungry, Kurai?"  
  
"What hungy?" asked Kurai.  
  
"You don't eat?" asked Yugi.  
  
"What eat?" Kurai asked again. Yugi couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Come on, I'll show you," Yugi said, taking Kurai's hand. He helped him off the bed and led him downstairs. Grandpa was in the kitchen finishing up the pancakes. He put them on the table and noticed Kurai, who tightened his grip on Yugi's hand.  
  
"Grandpa won't hurt you, Kurai, I promise," Yugi assured. Kurai looked up at Yugi, then at Grandpa before nodding.  
  
"I see you've chosen a name for him," said Grandpa, taking the syrup out from one of the cabinets. "Would Kurai like something to eat?"  
  
"He doesn't know what eating is," said Yugi. "I thought maybe we could show him."  
  
"Perhaps we should start him on some milk," Grandpa said, making his way to the refrigerator. "Children Kurai's age would instinctively know how to drink it." He took out a plastic cup from the cabinet. While he was pouring the milk, Yugi sat down in a chair and pulled Kurai up onto his lap. Grandpa walked over to them and handed his grandson the cup. Kurai's stomach growled.  
  
"I guess you are hungry," laughed Yugi. "Would you like to try to drink some?"  
  
"Otay, Yugi," Kurai said. Yugi put the cup close to Kurai's mouth and tipped it slightly. Kurai let the liquid into his mouth and easily swallowed it. He managed to drink the whole glass without spilling any.  
  
"I guess you were right, Grandpa," said Yugi. He wiped Kurai's mouth with a napkin. "Was it good?" Kurai nodded.  
  
"Would you like some more, Kurai?" asked Grandpa. Kurai nodded again. "Alright. Yugi, if it's alright with you, I'll feed him for you. You have to eat before your pancakes get cold."  
  
"Okay," said Yugi. He looked at Kurai. "Will you let Grandpa feed you?" Kurai looked a little unsure, but nodded. Yugi hugged him and set him down into another chair. Grandpa fed Kurai milk while Yugi devoured his pancakes. After a few minutes, Yugi finished and put his dishes into the sink. He looked at the kitchen clock and saw it was almost 10:00.  
  
"I have to meet the guys at the mall soon," he said. Yugi wanted to go, but he didn't want to leave Kurai.  
  
"Don't worry, Yugi, I'll take care of him for you while you're gone," said his Grandpa, as if reading his mind.  
  
"Thanks, Grandpa," said Yugi, gratefully. "Just be careful with him, okay?"  
  
"Of course, Yugi," Grandpa said. "I'll care for him just like he was another grandson of mine."  
  
"You're the best," thanked Yugi again. He bent down in front of Kurai. "I have to go somewhere today, but I'll be back soon."  
  
"Yugi go?" asked Kurai.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll come back," said Yugi, smiling. "I promise. Be good for Grandpa while I'm gone, okay?"  
  
"Otay, Yugi," said Kurai. "I be goowd for Gampa." Yugi smiled and ruffled Kurai's hair.  
  
"I guess I'll get going," Yugi said. "See you two later!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Left, Joey! Go left!"  
  
"Okay, okay, I hear ya!"  
  
"I said left, not right!"  
  
"Let me do it on my own, Tristan!"  
  
"LEFT!"  
  
"Argh, you moron! I lost my last life!" cried Joey.  
  
"You probably wouldn't have if you had gone left," shot Tristan.  
  
"Honestly, you two and arcade games..." muttered Téa.  
  
"Hey, you guys!" called Yugi as he ran up to his friends.  
  
"Hi Yugi!" said Téa. "How's it going?"  
  
"Fine," said Yugi. He looked at the arguing Joey and Tristan. "Um, what's up with them?"  
  
"They got in a fight over an arcade game," said Bakura. Joey finally noticed that Yugi had shown up and ran over to him.  
  
"Hey, Yugi!" Joey said. "Glad ya showed up! Uh, I know dis is gonna sound weird just changin' da subject, but did you see my science homework anywhere at your place? I think I left it there last night." Yugi sighed.  
  
"I'm really sorry to say this, Joey..." said Yugi, "but it got ripped up." Joey stared with wide eyes.  
  
"What?!" Joey roared. "What do ya mean my science homework got ripped up?! Do you know how hard I worked on dat?!"  
  
"Joey, stop! People are starting to stare at us," said Bakura.  
  
"Yugi, how did dis happen?" demanded Joey. Yugi took a deep breath and spoke.  
  
"A three-year-old version of my Dark Magician ripped it up, Joey."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yami and Yami Bakura: *trying to restrain Joey from getting to Kurai*  
  
Yugi: Joey, you can just copy mine!!  
  
Joey: Wait 'till I get my hands on him!!! I'll-  
  
Kurai: *hits Joey on the head with his staff*  
  
Joey: @_@  
  
Kurai: *giggles and hops into Yugi's lap* ^____________^  
  
Yugi: Awww... *huggles Kurai*  
  
Shinimegami: Ahem, anyway, I have another favor to ask of you reviewers! I just want your opinion on this. Um, if Kurai and Yugi were to take a bath together later in this fic, should I boost the rating up a notch to PG- 13? Please tell me in your reviews! And I'll have another present for you all that's better than candy!  
  
Yami Bakura: Which is?...  
  
Shinimegami: A dozen bags of pure sugar!  
  
Téa: That's a lot.  
  
Shinimegami: Each.  
  
Everyone: O.O  
  
Yami: You're going to have a bunch of sugar-high reviewers.  
  
Iris: Suga!! ^.^  
  
Shinimegami: Hai! Anyway, R&R please! Ja Ne! ^.~  
  
Yami: And don't take the sugar!!!!  
  
Kurai: *hits Yami on the head with his staff*  
  
Yami: @_@  
  
Shinimegami: Ehehehehehe.  
  
Kurai: ^______^ 


	4. Meet the Gang!

Shinimegami: Hey, thanks for telling me your opinions for the bath part everybody! As I promised, you all get a dozen bags of pure sugar each! *hands over the sugar*  
  
All the yamis: *run in fear of all the sugar high reviewers*  
  
Tristan: Can we have some sugar too?  
  
Iris: Pwease?  
  
Shinimegami: Eh, I don't see why not.  
  
Everybody: ^_________________________________________^  
  
Shinimegami: Okay, now for the fourth chappie!  
  
Disclaimers: OMIGOD!!! I just found out that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!!!!! What is this world coming to???  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"A three-year-old version of my Dark Magician ripped it up, Joey." Everyone just stared at Yugi as if he were insane.  
  
"You wanna run dat by me one more time, Yuge?" asked Joey.  
  
"I said that a chibi version of my Dark Magician ripped up your science homework," said Yugi again. "He didn't mean to, though, Joey. Honest."  
  
"Yugi, are you sure you know what you're talking about?" asked Tristan.  
  
"Yes, Tristan, I'm sure!" said Yugi, growing impatient. "I wouldn't lie about something like this."  
  
"Do you think you could show your Dark Magician to us, Yugi?" Téa asked. "I mean, we didn't really believe in Yami until we actually met him, so maybe we should to the same to him."  
  
"Sure, Téa," said Yugi. "I knew I had to show him to you guys sooner or later. Come on."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yugi took the others back to his house. Joey had completely forgotten about his science homework by the time they reached it.  
  
"Now guys, it kinda takes a while before Kurai fully trusts somebody," said Yugi once they reached the Game Shop door. "So don't mind if he seems a little scared at first."  
  
"Kurai? Is that what you named him?" asked Bakura. Yugi nodded and they walked through the door.  
  
"Grandpa! I'm home!" called Yugi. He and his friends walked past the shop and into the living room. Grandpa entered from the kitchen with Kurai in his arms.  
  
"Hey, look who's home, Kurai!" said Grandpa, setting the chibi on the ground.  
  
"Yugi!" cried Kurai happily, and ran over to Yugi. Yugi bent down and Kurai hugged him around his neck. Joey and the others couldn't help but stare at Kurai. The magician noticed this, and kept a tighter grip on Yugi.  
  
"It's okay, Kurai, those are my friends," Yugi said, wrapping his arms around the child. "They're nice and won't hurt you, just like Grandpa." Kurai seemed to remember how nice Grandpa was, and his grip loosened slightly. Yugi let Kurai go and turned towards his friends.  
  
"Kurai, this is Joey, Tristan, Téa, and Bakura," Yugi said, pointing to each one as he said their name. "Guys, this is Kurai."  
  
"Hi, Kurai," his friends said in unison. Kurai gave a cute smile and giggled a bit.  
  
"Hey, why don't we go up to my room?" suggested Yugi. "You could copy my science paper, Joey, if you want to." Joey remembered his science homework and agreed.  
  
"Joey! Race you to Yugi's room!" challenged Tristan.  
  
"Yer on!" said Joey. The two dashed for the stairs and ran to be the first to Yugi's bedroom. Yugi took Kurai's hand and walked up the stairs with Téa and Bakura behind him.  
  
When they reached Yugi's bedroom, they found Tristan and Joey arguing about who got there first. Téa managed to break it up when she reminded Joey that he had to do his science homework. Yugi got out his paper with another piece of blank paper and handed it to Joey, who immediately began to copy it down. Yugi sat down on the bed while Tea and Tristan sat on the floor, and Bakura sat next to him on the bed. Kurai climbed into Yugi's lap and snuggled into him.  
  
"Hey, Yugi," said Tristan. "How'd your Dark Magician come to life like that?"  
  
"I don't know," answered Yugi truthfully. "It happened last night. I don't know how, but he just came out of his card and he was a chibi."  
  
"Are you going to keep him here?" asked Téa.  
  
"Of course," said Yugi, hugging Kurai close. "He means a lot to me." Kurai had fallen asleep in Yugi's lap.  
  
"Done!" said Joey triumphantly as he finished his science paper.  
  
"Shhhhh!" shushed everyone at Joey, who quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Oh, sorry," he whispered. Kurai was still asleep, to their relief.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
(Later that night)  
  
Yugi took out his phone book and looked through it. His grandpa had asked him to come with him on a trip the next day, and he had said yes. Grandpa would need a lot of Yugi and Yami's help, and it would last for about the entire day. Yugi realized that Kurai wouldn't be able to manage the trip, so he decided that somebody should take care of him while he was away.  
  
After finding the phone number he wanted, Yugi picked up the phone and dialed it.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Bakura? It's Yugi."  
  
"Oh, hey Yugi! What's up?"  
  
"Listen, Bakura, my grandpa wants me and Yami to go on this trip with him tomorrow. He'll need a lot of our help and it's gonna last for the whole day."  
  
"Sounds busy."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Anyway, I was just wondering if you could look after Kurai while I'm gone. That is, if you're up to it."  
  
"Of course! I'll look after him!"  
  
"Really? What about your father?"  
  
"He's on another dig in Africa. I have the whole house to myself. Well, I'm not exactly by myself. I have my yami, too."  
  
"Your yami...?"  
  
"Yes, but don't worry, Yugi. I'll manage to keep him under control."  
  
"Thanks, Bakura. I owe you one."  
  
"Don't mention it, Yugi."  
  
"Okay, how about you come pick Kurai up tomorrow morning around 8:30?"  
  
"8:30? Alright."  
  
"Okay. Thanks again Bakura!"  
  
"You're welcome. See you tomorrow."  
  
"See you."  
  
Yugi hung up the phone and sighed. He hoped that Kurai wouldn't mind staying with Bakura for a whole day. And the thought of Yami Bakura being there made Yugi even more nervous. But then, Bakura did say that he would keep his yami under control.  
  
Yugi went up to his room and found Kurai asleep on his bed. Smiling, he walked over and laid down next to him. Kurai turned over in his sleep and snuggled into Yugi's chest. Yugi wrapped his arms around the chibi and closed his eyes. He hoped Kurai would be alright the next day...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shinimegami: Hmm, did that seem kinda rushed? I think I went a little too fast on this chapter.  
  
Seto: You worry too much. And when am I gonna be in this story?  
  
Shinimegami: Later.  
  
Seto: Oh yah, THAT'S a big help.  
  
Shinimegami: You're welcome.  
  
Bakura: I get to take care of Kurai in the next chapter?  
  
Shinimegami: Yep.  
  
Bakura: Yay! ^_____^  
  
Yugi: Just be careful with him.  
  
Bakura: Stop worrying, I will.  
  
Shinimegami: Well, I hope you all liked this chapter anyways. Keep those reviews coming and I'll see you all next chappie! ^.~  
  
Iris: Ja! ^_____^ 


	5. The Babysitting Bakuras

Everybody: *doing random things like dueling, reading, and other stuff*  
  
Shinimegami: *flies in* You guys, I'm gonna update now! ^.^  
  
Seto: Well it's about time.  
  
Shinimegami: *sighs* Yah, I know I haven't been working very hard lately. I was busy with high school finals and everything.  
  
Yugi: Can we just get started now?  
  
Shinimegami: Yah, sure. And before we do, I'm proud to know that I have exactly...more than 100 reviews! *goes a celebration dance* Ahem, okay, here goes.  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. *thinks of what she would do if she did*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bakura walked down the sidewalk on his way to Yugi's house. He was a bit surprised that Yugi had chosen him to look after Kurai while he was gone. After all, he did know about his yami, and how he was at times.  
  
After crossing the street once, Bakura walked another block and came to the front door of the game shop. The bell rang as he pushed it open and went up to the counter.  
  
"Is that you, Bakura?" he heard Yugi call from another room.  
  
"Yes, it's me," replied Bakura.  
  
"Hold on, I'll be there in just a second," Yugi called again. Bakura waited patiently until Yugi came out with Kurai after a brief moment. Kurai looked up at Bakura curiously.  
  
"Hey, thanks again for looking after him, Bakura," Yugi said. "Are you sure you can handle your yami?"  
  
"Of course," said Bakura. "I promise I'll keep him under control. Kurai will be fine, I assure you." Yugi nodded and knelt down so he was at Kurai's level.  
  
"Yugi...?" questioned Kurai, aware that something was going on.  
  
"I have to go away for a while, Kurai," said Yugi softly. "I won't be back until the end of the day. But you can play with Bakura until I get back, okay?" The chibi nodded; unshed tears could be seen in his eyes.  
  
"Don't worry, you'll have lots of fun with Bakura," said Yugi, pulling Kurai into a hug. "And when I come back, we can do something fun together, and you can pick what we do. Alright?" The little mage's eyes seemed to light up instantly.  
  
"We pway togever?" asked Kurai hopefully.  
  
"Yes, I promise," said Yugi, smiling.  
  
"Otay, Yugi!" said Kurai, hugging Yugi tightly. Bakura silently smiled at the two. They both really seemed to love each other, in a parent-and- child sort of way. Just then, Yami came in through the back.  
  
"Yugi," he said. "Grandpa says it's time to leave."  
  
"Okay, Yami, I'll be right there," said Yugi. Yami nodded and left. Yugi released Kurai and turned back to Bakura.  
  
"Well, I guess I'd better get going," Yugi said. "Just remember to be careful with him."  
  
"Stop worrying, Yugi, he'll be fine," said Bakura. "Now you'd better get out there before your grandpa and Yami leave you behind."  
  
"Right, I'll see you two later!" said Yugi. He walked to the door and gave a small good-bye wave before leaving. Bakura smiled as he took Kurai's hand into his own.  
  
"Shall we get going then?" asked Bakura. Kurai silently nodded and the two of them left the game shop. Kurai was suddenly fascinated with everything around him. The buildings, the cars, and everything else. He got a little closer to Bakura when he noticed how many people were walking around.  
  
"Are you alright?" asked Bakura when he did this. Kurai looked up at him.  
  
"Wide?" the chibi asked innocently.  
  
"Ride?" repeated Bakura. "You want a ride?" Kurai nodded. Bakura knelt down and Kurai clambered up onto his shoulders.  
  
"Hold on, Kurai," said Bakura as he stood up. Kurai held onto the boy's hair and Bakura began to make his way to his house. Along the way, Kurai eagerly looked around him at the trees, houses, and some of the people who were outside at that time of day. However, Kurai didn't feel as scared anymore; he felt tall and brave up on Bakura's shoulders.  
  
After a while, which included quite a few people staring at the way Kurai was dressed, the duo reached Bakura's house. Bakura lifted Kurai down from his shoulders and onto the ground at the front door. They both entered the house.  
  
"So, Kurai, what you like to do?" asked Bakura as they entered the kitchen. Kurai looked up at the teen.  
  
"I hungy," he said quietly, as if scared to ask Bakura for something.  
  
"Alright," said Bakura with a smile. "What would you like?" Bakura mentally slapped himself after saying that. Kurai wouldn't know about the many types of food he could eat.  
  
"Hmm, you've had mostly milk, right?" asked Bakura. Kurai silently nodded. "Do you want to try chocolate milk?"  
  
"Chocowate?" questioned Kurai.  
  
"It's like milk, only a bit sweeter," said Bakura. "I'm sure you'll like it."  
  
"Otay," said Kurai. Bakura smiled. He lifted the chibi into his arms and placed him in a chair at the table.  
  
"It'll just be a minute," said Bakura, and he walked over to the counter and proceeded to make the drink.  
  
If Bakura thought Kurai was going to wait patiently in his seat, boy was he wrong. Kurai silently slipped off the chair and wandered into the other room. He looked around in wonder at the things around him. Walking over to the window, Kurai stood up on the tips of his toes to look out and see a garden full of pretty flowers.  
  
Kurai wandered to the stairs next. Having experienced them at Yugi's house, Kurai had no trouble as he began climbing them. He reached the top and walked down the hallway, looking into each room as he passed.  
  
Looking into Bakura's bedroom, Kurai spotted Yami Bakura sleeping on his back on the bed. Thinking it was the real Bakura, Kurai quietly crept over to him, and then suddenly leapt onto his stomach.  
  
"BATUWA!" Kurai shouted happily. The yami awoke with a cry. Sleep blocked his eyesight as he blindly shoved Kurai off of him and onto the floor. Kurai landed hard and began to wail loudly. Yami Bakura rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked down at the chibi just as Bakura ran into the room.  
  
"Yami!" shouted Bakura angrily, lifting the crying Kurai into his arms. "What did you do?!" Yami Bakura just stared at the magician as he sobbed into Bakura's chest. His sobs quieted as Bakura rubbed his back soothingly. Kurai sniffed and looked up at Bakura, then turned to look at his yami. The chibi's eyes widened slightly and he looked back and forth between the two Bakuras.  
  
"Honestly, yami," said Bakura. "I did tell you yesterday night that Kurai would be coming over here today, and-"  
  
"No, you didn't!" Yami Bakura protested.  
  
"Yes, I did!" said Bakura. "Right after I got off the phone and went through the living room, you were on the couch and asked me who was on the phone. And I told you it was Yugi, and then you asked me what did he want. Then I told you about Kurai, but you just said, 'whatever, now let me go to sleep' and you fell asleep on the couch."  
  
Yami Bakura blinked.  
  
"Oh, yeah..." he muttered.  
  
"Exactly," sighed Bakura. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take Kurai downstairs." With that, he turned and left the bedroom and went down to the kitchen again.  
  
"You have yami," Kurai spoke up. "Just wike Yugi."  
  
"Yep," said Bakura, setting Kurai down. "I'm sorry he pushed you. I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you anymore." He wiped off Kurai's tear-stricken face with his sleeve. "Um, would you still like your chocolate milk?" Kurai nodded and Bakura carried him, along with the cup, over to the kitchen table. Bakura placed the chibi on his lap and fed him the chocolatey drink. Kurai drank it down eagerly.  
  
"Yummy!" said Kurai when he had finished. A small chocolate mustache was left above his upper lip. Bakura giggled and wiped it off.  
  
"You liked it?" he asked.  
  
"Yep yep!" Kurai said happily. "Tanks!"  
  
"You're welcome," said Bakura. Kurai hugged the teen around his neck.  
  
"Can I go see fowers?" he asked.  
  
"Hmm?" said Bakura. Kurai jumped down from Bakura's lap and took his hand. He led him into the other room to the window where he saw the garden of flowers.  
  
"Oh! You want to see the flowers?" asked Bakura.  
  
"Pwease?" asked Kurai, giving the most unresistable kawaii look. How could Bakura say no to a face like that?  
  
"Okay," said Bakura. "But I'll come out with you, just in case." He took Kurai to another room that had the backyard door in it. Sliding open the door, Bakura let Kurai wander outside and over to his prized garden. Kurai gazed at the flowers with wonder and bent over to sniff one. Bakura smiled and walked over to the magician.  
  
A butterfly landed on one of the flowers a little away from Kurai. He leaned forward to get a better look at the creature. After all, he had never seen one before.  
  
"What dat, Batuwa?" asked Kurai, pointing towards the butterfly.  
  
"That's a butterfly," replied Bakura. "It's a bug that drinks from the flowers."  
  
"It pwetty," said Kurai, getting a little bit closer to it. Suddenly, the butterfly fluttered off of the flower and landed on the tip of Kurai's nose. Kurai didn't seem the least bit scared. Bakura laughed as Kurai crossed his eyes, trying to look at the butterfly with both of his eyes.  
  
"I think it likes you, Kurai," said Bakura.  
  
"It tickwes, Batuwa!" Kurai giggled. The butterfly finally left Kurai's nose and fluttered back to the flowers.  
  
"I wike budderfwies," said Kurai, watching it again.  
  
"So do I," said Bakura. Just then, he heard the phone ring from inside the house. He looked at the door, then at Kurai, then at the door, and then at Kurai. The phone kept ringing. Well, it wasn't like his yami was going to get it or anything.  
  
"I'll be right back, Kurai," said Bakura, and he rushed into the house and picked up the phone as it rang for the fourth time.  
  
"Hello?" Bakura spoke into the phone. "...oh, hi Yugi........ Yes, everything's fine over here......what? No, my yami's up in my room, he's not...........no! Of course he hasn't done anything to Kurai! What makes you think-............well, yeah, your yami can detect shadow magic and stuff and my yami kinda gives off some when he's angry, but........... Look, don't worry, Yugi, I'm handling it fine...........................look, don't you have to help your grandpa with something?.... Okay....okay.....OKAY.... Right, I'll see you later tonight, Yugi. Bye."  
  
Bakura hung up the phone and sighed. Yugi just called to check up on him and Kurai. Although it was a little frustrating, Bakura had to admit: Yugi was pretty protective of his Dark Magician.  
  
Speaking of whom, Bakura decided to check on Kurai outside. He went back to the backyard door to find Kurai standing there. He held a little bundle in his arms.  
  
"Um, what's that you've got there, Kurai?" asked Bakura as he came closer. Kurai smiled and held up a small, grey kitten in his hands. Bakura's eyes widened a little.  
  
"Oh, I see you've found a kitty," he said.  
  
"Kitty," Kurai repeated, looking at the animal. The kitten mewed and tried to get back closer to Kurai. The little magician hugged the kitten close to him and it licked his cheek, causing him to giggle.  
  
"We feed Kitty?" asked Kurai. The kitten began to meow again, as if asking the same question. Bakura just couldn't say no.  
  
"Alright," he said, opening the door. Kurai carried the kitten inside the house and into the kitchen. Bakura took out a saucer from the cabinet and the milk from the refrigerator. He poured a good amount into the saucer and set it on the floor. Kurai set down the kitten, who instantly scampered up and began to drink it.  
  
"Kitty wikes miwk," said Kurai. He looked up at Bakura. "Me keeps Kitty?"  
  
"Well, it's all up to Yugi," said Bakura. "But I'm sure he'll let you keep it. I don't see anything wrong with that."  
  
"Yay!" exclaimed Kurai, hugging Bakura around his knees. Just then, Yami Bakura came down the stairs and into the kitchen. Instead of tensing up, as Bakura expected, Kurai ran up to Yami Bakura excitedly.  
  
"Lookies, Yami Batuwa!" he said, and pointed to the grey kitten. "I gets to keep Kitty!" Yami Bakura's eyes grew big once he saw the kitten on the floor.  
  
"Oh, Gods..." he said. "Great, this is just great! Why did it have to be a... ahh-ahhh-AHHH-CHOOOOO!" The tomb robber suddenly sneezed loudly. The kitten looked up from the now-empty saucer, mewed, and scampered over to Yami Bakura.  
  
"No! Bad kitty! Bad kitty!" said Yami Bakura, backing away from the kitten. He sneezed a few more times before Kurai took the kitten back up into his small arms.  
  
"I go pway wiff Kitty now?" he asked Bakura.  
  
"Of course," Bakura said. "Have fun!" Kurai smiled and took the kitten into the other room, much to Yami Bakura's relief. Although the kitten was gone, he continued to sneeze.  
  
Bakura leaned back against the counter. He was going to savor this moment for the rest of his life: the day that he found out his yami was allergic to cats. Now he knew what he could use to ward him off when he was on an anger rampage.  
  
After a few more sneezes, Bakura finally took a box of tissues and threw them at his yami.  
  
"OW!" cried Yami Bakura when the box hit his head. "What was that for?!"  
  
"That's for what happened this morning," Bakura replied coolly. He turned around and took out some bread from the cabinet. Yami Bakura used a number of tissues before he spoke again.  
  
"Ugh...why did you have to bring it here?" he asked through a stuffy nose.  
  
"Well, the kitten looked pretty hungry, and I couldn't just-"  
  
"No, I was talking about the duel monster," interrupted Yami Bakura. "If you hadn't brought it here, the kitten wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be like THIS." He sneezed again and took out another tissue.  
  
"I told you before, Yugi wanted me to take care of him while he's out of town today," said Bakura, taking out the peanut butter and the jelly.  
  
"But why couldn't someone else have done it?" asked Yami Bakura. "Tristan or Joey could have done it. And I'm sure Téa would love to look after it..."  
  
"Look, it doesn't matter!" said Bakura, taking a butter knife from the drawer. "All that I ask from you is good behavior today!"  
  
"Fine, fine," said Yami Bakura, sniffing. "But only until it goes home to Yu-"  
  
"And that's another thing!" Bakura interrupted. "Stop calling him 'it'! He's not an 'it', he's a 'he'. Okay?" He turned back to the counter and continued to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He figured that Yugi had given Kurai some solid foods by now.  
  
After making the sandwiches, Bakura called in Kurai from the other room. The chibi came into the room carrying the kitten in his arms. Yami Bakura immediately began to sneeze. Bakura poured some more milk for the kitten and gave Kurai a sandwich, who thanked him and began eating it. Yami Bakura used up more and more tissues and glared at the young cat. Bakura couldn't stop himself from laughing at his yami.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Later that day, Yami Bakura had had enough of Kurai and the kitten and went into the living room. He slumped down on the couch and managed to drift off into sleep.  
  
Kurai quietly walked into the living room and saw the sleeping yami on the couch. He came closer until he was only inches from the tomb robber. Slowly, he reached out a finger and poked the spirit's leg.  
  
He didn't move. Kurai poked again. Still, Yami Bakura didn't move. Figuring it was okay, Kurai hoisted himself up onto the couch next to Yami Bakura. He seemed to think for a bit before finally crawling into the yami's lap. Kurai gave a quiet yawn and rested his head against the boy's chest. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.  
  
Bakura looked around the house for Kurai with the sleeping kitten in his arms. He was about to call out when he saw Kurai and his yami on the couch. If they were awake, they would have been able to see the wide smile on Bakura's face at that moment. Bakura set down the kitten on a nearby chair and left the room for a moment.  
  
When he returned, Bakura held up a camera to his face. He made sure the flash was off before he snapped a picture. Neither of the two awoke, to his relief. Bakura giggled to himself. Oh yes, this would be a great memory...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shinimegami: WOAH! This is the longest chapter yet!  
  
Bakura: See? I TOLD you I could handle my yami!  
  
Kurai: Yugi! *jumps into Yugi's arms* ^__________^  
  
Yugi: Kurai! *huggles Kurai* ^__________^  
  
Shinimegami: Oh, and I'd like to say to Starr* that I'm reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaally sorry that I didn't put her in this chappie...but, uh, here! *gives her a lollipop*  
  
Iris: *also has a lollipop* ^__________________________^  
  
Shinimegami: Anyway, I'd also like to apologize for the ending. I mean, it wasn't like really bad or anything, it's just that I couldn't think up anything better. *pauses* Well, I guess I'll just see you all next chappie! Keep those reviews coming! Ja Ne! ^.~ 


	6. Shopping with Seto

Shinimegami: *suddenly falls into the room from the ceiling, hitting the floor*  
  
YGO cast: ?????  
  
Kurai: *pokes Shinimegami with his staff*  
  
Shinimegami: *slowly holds up some papers*  
  
Yugi: Uh, you finished the chapter...?  
  
Shinimegami: Correct. *gets up and trudges over to the computer to upload it*  
  
Joey: What took ya?  
  
Shinimegami: *shoots him a death glare*  
  
Joey: Ehehehehe...never mind.  
  
Kurai: Shinimegami look funny. Feadews all fwizzy. *giggles*  
  
Shinimegami: ^_________^  
  
Joey: WHAT? You mean HE can make fun of you, but I CAN'T?!  
  
Shinimegami: Of course. He's just a chibi. You're not. *uploads the chapter*  
  
Joey: -_-  
  
Disclaimers: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me, but I sure wish it did. Don't we all?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Yugi!" cried Kurai, running forward excitedly to embrace the teen around his waist.  
  
"Hey, Kurai!" said Yugi happily, returning the chibi's hug. "How was your visit with Bakura?" Kurai let him go and looked up at him.  
  
"We have fun, Yugi!" Kurai exclaimed again. "I find kitty!"  
  
"You did?" Yugi looked up at Bakura and noticed the grey bundle of fur in his arms.  
  
"Kurai found him in my backyard," Bakura explained. "He didn't have a collar or anything, so I figured I'd let Kurai keep him while he was with me. Of course, it's up to you whether Kurai gets to keep him here."  
  
"Pwease, Yugi?" pleaded Kurai, clasping his hands together in front of him. "We keep Kitty?" Yugi smiled.  
  
"Well, it's okay with me, but we'll check with grandpa later and see what happens," said Yugi.  
  
"Me go check now?" asked Kurai.  
  
"Go ahead." Yugi patted the child's head affectionately and Kurai ran off. Yugi turned back to Bakura.  
  
"So was he any trouble?" he asked.  
  
"Not at all," replied Bakura. "He was just fine. I'm glad you let me watch him for today."  
  
"You're welcome. So, uh, was your yami any trouble?"  
  
"Nope. This little guy helped keep him at bay." Bakura held out the kitten to Yugi, who handled it gently.  
  
"Oh, by the way, Yugi," said Bakura. "I'll have a little something for you later. Yami will especially enjoy it. I'll have it for you in a few days."  
  
"Um, okay," said Yugi, raising an eyebrow. Bakura gave a small smile and turned to leave.  
  
"I'll see you later, Yugi," he said, waving as he left. Yugi nodded and looked down at the grey kitten, who was regarding him with curiosity. Yugi smiled when the kitten mewed and tried to lick his nose.  
  
"Come on, little guy," said Yugi, turning to go into the house. "Let's get you something to eat."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey, Yami?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I think it's time we got some clothes for Kurai." Yami looked up from his book. He and Yugi were sitting in the backyard, relaxing in the warm sun.  
  
"You think so?" Yami asked.  
  
"Well, yeah." Yugi looked over at Kurai playing with his kitten out on the lawn. "He can't stay in that robe forever, you know. It's beginning to get worn out, and I think it's tearing in some places, too."  
  
"Then why don't you buy him some?"  
  
"Yami, I don't have enough money!" Yami looked back down at his book.  
  
"Then why don't you ask grandpa for some?" he suggested.  
  
"Grandpa's trying to get some new products for display," said Yugi, looking back at Kurai. "Besides, he's too busy."  
  
"You could always get someone else to do it for you," said Yami.  
  
"Well, yeah, I guess..." said Yugi, "but I don't think Joey, Tristan, or Téa have that kind of spending money... And I already had Bakura look after Kurai; I can't just put favors on him all the time..."  
  
"Who else is there?"  
  
"I dunno... But whoever we get, they have to have enough money..."  
  
A small silence followed, before Yugi suddenly stood and went to the door. Yami glanced up.  
  
"Yugi?"  
  
"I think I know somebody."  
  
"Uh, okay..."  
  
Yami looked back down at his book aside while Yugi walked into the house. Yugi went over to the kitchen and picked up the phone and dialed a number. He waited, drumming his fingertips on the table before straightening up again.  
  
"Hey, Kaiba? It's Yugi."  
  
Outside Yami flinched slightly at the sound of Seto Kaiba's name.  
  
"Listen, Kaiba, I want to ask you a favor...... Don't worry, it's nothing big, I promise..... What?..... Oh, come on, Kaiba..... It's just one..... oh, okay, fine.... hold on." Yugi placed his hand over the bottom of the phone and turned.  
  
"HEY, YAMI!" he yelled.  
  
"I'm right outside, Yugi, you don't have to yell."  
  
"Oh, sorry," Yugi apologized, lowering his voice. "Uh, Kaiba said he wants something in return if he does me a favor."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well, uh, he said he'll only help me if you promise to Duel him later."  
  
"Tell him I said no."  
  
"Aww, PLEASE, Yami?"  
  
"No. Absolutely not."  
  
"PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSEE?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
Yami could have sworn he heard Seto's voice on the phone yelling for him to promise to Duel him.  
  
"Come on, Yami, it's only one little Duel!"  
  
"Grrrr... FINE! Fine, I'll Duel him! Just let me finish my book, PLEASE!" Yugi sighed in relief and put the phone back up to his mouth again.  
  
"He said he'll do it, Kaiba....... Oh yeah, sorry, of course you heard him say yes......... So, anyway, this favor of mine......... Yeah, it's nothing really..... Anyway, here's what I need you to do..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I STILL can't believe I'm gonna have to Duel Kaiba AGAIN when this is over."  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it, Yami. It's not like you're gonna lose or anything, right?"  
  
"But I've Dueled him, like, a whole bunch of times already!"  
  
"Just let it go, Yami, he's here now."  
  
Yugi took Kurai's hand and led him outside to where Seto's black limo waited. Yami leaned lazily on the counter inside. Seto exited the vehicle and walked over to where Yugi stood with Kurai. The chibi quickly hid behind Yugi, peeking out nervously at Seto.  
  
"Hey, don't worry, Kurai," Yugi soothed, turning and bending down to Kurai's level. "Kaiba's not gonna hurt you, I promise. He's just gonna get you some clothes, that's all." Kurai shook his head.  
  
"No like Kaiba," he said quietly, pointing to him. "He a meanie." Yugi could hear Yami laughing inside the shop.  
  
"Even when he's three years old, your Dark Magician still doesn't like Kaiba," said Yami, walking towards the door. Yugi raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What makes you think Kurai hated Kaiba before?" he asked.  
  
"Hey, with all those Duels I had with him, Kurai was bound to see how stuck-up Kaiba is," Yami said, leaning in the door's archway.  
  
"I heard that, pharaoh," said Seto, stopping in front of them. "Just make sure you keep up your end of the bargain when this is done. Let's just get this over with." He turned and went back to his limo.  
  
"Uh, I thought you said Kaiba didn't believe you when you told him your Dark Magician turned into a chibi," Yami said, looking at Yugi.  
  
"He didn't," said Yugi. "But I guess he just wanted to have another Duel with you." Yami shrugged.  
  
"Oh well," he said. "But I still don't understand why your sending him to the mall alone with Kaiba, Yugi."  
  
"Oh, don't be silly, Yami! You're going, too!"  
  
"WHAT?!" Seto and Yami shouted at the same time.  
  
"Of course!" said Yugi. "I've gotta help Grandpa with the new displays, and I sure don't trust Kaiba with Kurai, so you're the only person left, Yami!"  
  
"This is an outrage!" exclaimed Yami. "First I have to Duel him AGAIN, and NOW I have to go shopping with him!" He suddenly paused. "That doesn't even sound very right at all, either..."  
  
"Look, Yami, just DO this for me!" said Yugi. "I promise I'll make it up to you, really!" Yami sighed and finally conceded. He bent down and picked up Kurai, then walked rather stiffly over to Seto's limo.  
  
"Have fun, Kurai!" called Yugi as Yami shut the door. Kurai smiled and waved back through the window. Upon further observation, Yugi could tell that Yami and Seto were trying to sit as far away from each other as humanly possible. Yugi smiled and walked back into the shop just as the black limo pulled away and drove off.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yami and Seto didn't speak to each other once as they walked into the mall. Kurai walked beside them, clutching Yami's hand as he looked around in wonder at everything around him. They walked deeper into the crowds of people before one of the spoke.  
  
"So," Yami said finally. "Where do we go first?"  
  
"Why don't you just look around for yourself?" Seto said, not looking at him. "This isn't really my business, you know."  
  
"Kaiba, I've never gone shopping for children's clothes, okay?" Yami said, irritably.  
  
"Oh, and I have?" Seto shot back.  
  
"Kaiba, you have a little brother!" Yami said, stopping. "Don't tell me you have no idea where to start after buying all sorts of things for HIM!" Seto stopped next to him.  
  
"Are you criticizing my ability to shop?!"  
  
"Yes, I am!"  
  
They wouldn't stop. Kurai stood below them and watched. He tilted his head curiously when Yami and Seto decided to shout a few choice words at each other.  
  
The two boys' arguing became boring to Kurai after a few minutes, and he turned and looked around some more. Some people who walked by smiled and waved to him, and he smiled and waved back cheerfully.  
  
A few more minutes passed and Kurai turned around. Yami and Seto were still arguing. Finally, the chibi decided it was too boring with the two boys, turned and walked happily away.  
  
The many people in the mall didn't seem to notice the small magician as he walked past the huge stores and shops. Kurai continued to stare in wonder at all the people and structures around him. He stopped at the entrances of random stores and peered around inside before moving on to a different one. Some people glanced over at him, but then walked on past him.  
  
The chibi looked into about ten or so stores before one caught his attention. And what do you know, it just happened to be a clothes store. Kurai smiled and almost skipped over to the entrance, looking inside for a bit before actually entering. His eyes wandered across the vast selection before landing on one of the employees. The child's smile grew and he went over.  
  
"Hi, lady!" said Kurai, waving up to her. She turned around at the sound of his voice and looked down at him.  
  
"Well, hello there!" she send bending down to his level. "Where's your family?"  
  
"They coming," said Kurai. "Me needs to get clothes."  
  
"Well, alright then!" said the woman. "What's your name?"  
  
"I Kuwai!" Kurai said proudly, puffing his chest out. The woman laughed.  
  
"Okay, then, Kurai," she said, holding out her hand. "Let's go get you some clothes." Kurai happily took the woman's hand and followed her over to the children's section.  
  
"So, you just tell me if there's anything here you like, okay?" she said kindly.  
  
"Otay!" said Kurai. He began looking around and picking out some clothes, with the employee helping him along.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the mall, Yami and Seto continued to argue. Many people inched past them carefully, while others simply shot them strange glances. Neither of the two noticed.  
  
"And another thing!" shouted Yami. "You couldn't beat me in a Duel even if you TRIED!!!"  
  
"WHAT?" yelled Seto. "Well, we'll just see about that as soon as we're done here!"  
  
"You're on!" Yami shot back. They both slowly began to calm back down. "Let's just take Kurai and get this shopping thing over with."  
  
"Okay, sure," said Seto, nodding. "Where is Kurai?"  
  
"Relax, Kaiba, he's right here," Yami gestured next to him, and to empty space. Yami paused. "Well, he WAS right here..."  
  
"Nice job, pharaoh, go on and lose him, why don't you!" said Seto.  
  
"What are you talking about, Kaiba?" snapped Yami. "It was YOUR fault, YOU lost him!"  
  
"I did NOT!" said Seto angrily. "If you hadn't started that argument, this wouldn't-"  
  
"I started it? What do you mean I started it?" Yami shouted into Seto's face. Or, at least he tried to, but he ended up yelling to Seto's chest.  
  
"I mean YOU started it, Yami!" Seto shouted back. "You criticized my ability to shop, after all!" And once again... they began to argue... again...  
  
"LOOK!" Yami yelled finally. "This is getting us nowhere! Let's just go and find Kurai, okay?"  
  
"Right, okay, let's go," Seto agreed quickly. "But where should we look first?"  
  
"Uh, let's go this way." Yami pointed in a random direction. "Maybe he went that way." The two ran in the direction Yami pointed in, looking desperately around for Kurai.  
  
"I still say you started that argument" said Seto.  
  
"Shut UP, Kaiba!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So, did you get everything you want?" the employee asked.  
  
"Yep!" Kurai nodded.  
  
"Then why don't we go up to the front and wait for your family, okay?"  
  
"Otay!"  
  
Kurai walked alongside the woman while she carried the clothes he picked out up to the front counter. Suddenly, Kurai spotted a small stand with Duel Monsters plushies on it. He smiled and walked over to it. He looked over them all for about a minute before picking up three of them and running back up to the front.  
  
"Oh, did you find something else?" the woman asked as Kurai stopped in front of her. He nodded and held up the three plushies: Exodia, a Blue- Eyes White Dragon, and the Dark Magician.  
  
"Fow Yami, Kaiba and Yugi," Kurai said happily. The woman smiled.  
  
"That's really sweet," she said, patting the child's head. "Don't you wanna get one for yourself?" Kurai shook his head.  
  
"Me no want any," he said simply. The woman smiled and bent down in front of him.  
  
"Well, how about I pay for those for you?" Kurai's smile brightened.  
  
"Reawy?" he asked, and the woman nodded. "Tank oo!" He gave her a hug around her knees just as Yami and Seto came bursting through the entrance.  
  
"Kurai!" cried Yami, out of breath. "There you are, we were looking all over for you!" They both stopped in front of the counter.  
  
"Are you with him?" asked the employee. They nodded. "Well, you should be very proud of him. He came in here all by himself and picked out his own clothes!" Seto and Yami blinked.  
  
"He... did?" Yami asked.  
  
"Yep," said the woman, going behind the counter. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just ring this all up." As she added up the prices, Yami looked down at Kurai.  
  
"Kurai, please, don't ever run off again," he spoke firmly. "What if something had happened to you?" Kurai's smile faded.  
  
"I sowwy, Yami," he said, looking down. "You and Kaiba was fighting. I got scared a widdle." Yami frowned and lifted Kurai up into his arms.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kurai, I shouldn't have been so strict with you," he apologized. "Just promise me you won't run off again, okay?"  
  
"Otay, Yami..." Kurai said softly. Seto walked over.  
  
"What's that you've got there?" Seto said, pointing to the plushies in Kurai's hands. Kurai pulled out the Blue-Eyes plushie and silently held it out to Seto. Seto looked slightly surprised. Yami smirked.  
  
"Looks like Kurai wants to be friends, Kaiba," he said. Seto looked at the Blue-Eyes plushie before reaching his hand out and taking it carefully.  
  
"Hey, thanks, kid," Seto said, ruffling Kurai's hair, who giggled.  
  
"I gots one fow you, too, Yami," said Kurai, taking out the Exodia plushie. Yami smiled warmly and took it.  
  
"Thanks, Kurai," he said gently. "Did you get one for Yugi as well?"  
  
"Yep!" said Kurai, holding up the Dark Magician plushie. "He wooks just wike me!"  
  
"Yeah, he does," said Yami as the employee finished with the final price. Yami looked up at the price, then suddenly turned to Seto.  
  
"Uh, Kaiba?" he asked. "Could you take care of that?" Seto didn't say anything and pulled out his wallet, paying for the clothes. Kurai gave a small yawn and snuggled against Yami's chest.  
  
"Have a nice day," said the employee, handing the bag of new clothes to Seto. He turned to face Yami.  
  
"Just remember the Duel you promised me, Yami," he said, putting his wallet away. Yami placed a finger over his mouth.  
  
"He's falling asleep," whispered Yami, looking down at Kurai, who was, indeed, beginning to fall asleep. Seto nodded and the two of them walked out of the store and out of the mall. They quietly entered Seto's limo and sat down; both of them seemed to have forgotten their argument in the mall earlier.  
  
All was quiet on the drive back to Yugi's. Kurai lay asleep in Yami's lap the entire way, all the while clutching Yugi's new Dark Magician plushie to his chest.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joey: Now I thought THAT was a good chapter!  
  
Yugi: Awww, Kurai, you got me a plushie! *huggles both Kurai and his new plushie* ^__^  
  
Kurai: ^____________________________^  
  
Shinimegami: Well, I feel better now. I've now updated all of the stories I've laid off for over five or less months! ^__^  
  
Yami: That's good.  
  
Shinimegami: Yep! Okay, people, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I know how a lot of you wanted Seto to get Kurai some new clothes! Well, your wish has been granted!  
  
Seto: *in the background* How can you say that! Have you seen the bill?!  
  
Shinimegami: Uh, no, I haven't, but who cares! R&R peeps, and I'll keep the story going! Ja Ne! ^.~ 


	7. Footballs and Devil's Food Cake

Seto: *checks watch* She's late.  
  
Joey: Well, DUH, she has school, remember?  
  
Tristan: Hey... waiiiiiiiiit a minute... aren't we supposed to be at school, too?  
  
Joey: ...OH MY GOD, YOU'RE RIGHT!!!  
  
YGO crew (minus Yugi and Kurai): *make a mad dash for the studio door and get stuck in the doorway*  
  
Yugi: -_-;;; *watches as the rest of the crew finally gets through the door* Don't they know it's the weekend?  
  
Kurai: *sucks on a lollipop* ^___^  
  
Shinimegami: *comes in with a HUGE pile of textbooks*  
  
Yugi: ...homework?  
  
Shinimegami: And lots of it. *drops the pile of books onto the floor, causing the entire studio to shake*  
  
Kurai: *continues to eat his lollipop* ^___^  
  
Shinimegami: *suddenly grins* But it's the weekend, so I can put off my homework until Sunday! Whee!!! *goes over to computer and finishes the chapter* DONE!!! ^-^  
  
Yugi: That's good. ^-^  
  
Kurai: *finishes his lollipop* Yummy! ^___^  
  
Shinimegami: *posts chapter* Enjoy, peeps! Cuz I'm gonna go eat something since I'm STARVING...  
  
Disclaimers: Yu-Gi-Oh... *pause of suspense* ...is not mine.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tiny hands tugged curiously on the high collar of the small, purple turtleneck. The unusual feeling around his neck caused him only minor discomfort, but the small blue jeans and tiny black shoes felt just fine.  
  
Kurai regarded the object in front of him with silent, childlike curiosity. He grabbed the pointed end of the brown thing, lifting it with difficulty. The small bumps along the skin of the oddly-shaped ball only increased the child's curiosity. He broke his gaze from the alien object in his hands to look up at the tall blonde across from him.  
  
"Okay, Kurai, here's your first lesson on bein' a man!" Joey said with enthusiasm. "Learning to play football!"  
  
It was another bright, sunny day in the city of Domino, and the entire gang was outside. The others relaxed on the green grass as Joey made his first attempt on educating Kurai on something. Kitty snoozed peacefully on a deck chair while the high schoolers bathed in the sun.  
  
Joey walked across the length of the backyard and turned back to Kurai, who was still staring at the football in his hands.  
  
"Alright, Kurai," Joey said, causing the chibi to look up at him. "Lesson number one: passin' da ball! Go ahead, pass it to me!" Kurai blinked and remained on the spot for about two more seconds before walking over to Joey and stopping in front of the teen, holding out the football for him to take.  
  
Joey sighed as his friends laughed from their seats on the lawn.  
  
"Uh, let me rephrase that," Joey said, rubbing his temple. "How about you try throwing it to me? Go on back and try it." Kurai smiled innocently and obediently walked back.  
  
"Okay, man, let 'er rip!" Joey cried when Kurai was positioned again. Kurai raised the large ball over his head and threw it with all his might.  
  
The football went two feet.  
  
To the side, Tristan and Bakura broke into hysterical fits of laughter. Kurai frowned and blew raspberries at them. This seemed to only make them laugh harder. Joey jogged over and picked up the ball.  
  
"That was okay, Kurai," Joey said, handing the football back to Kurai. "Just try throwing it a little harder now." Joey ran back to his position. When he gave the signal, Kurai raised the ball over his head again, throwing it even harder then before.  
  
The football went a little farther, but barely.  
  
Kurai frowned, and his blue eyes glistened with unshed tears. Joey quickly ran back over and picked up the ball.  
  
"Don't sweat it, man, it's okay," Joey soothed, ruffling Kurai's silken locks. "It took me just as long to learn how ta throw it, too." He handed the ball to Kurai. "Come on, third time's da charm." Joey winked reassuringly and ran back.  
  
Kurai once again lifted the ball over his head. His quick anger against the inanimate object in his hands fueled the worthwhile throw that was about to come, and he thrusted the ball forward.  
  
Joey's eyes widened as he ducked to avoid the fast-coming football, just as Yami opened the patio door and came outside.  
  
SMACK.  
  
Téa covered her mouth with her hands. Tristan and Bakura stopped laughing. Yugi blanched. Joey uncovered his head and turned to look behind him. In the unusually dead silence, Kurai swallowed nervously.  
  
Yami stood in the doorway, the football lodged in his eye. His hands twitched at his sides. No one dared to make a sound.  
  
"Yugi."  
  
"Um, yes, Yami..."  
  
"Would you please call the hospital?"  
  
Yugi took no time in standing up and running into the house to get to the phone. Joey broke the silence with an uneasy laugh.  
  
"Eh, sorry 'bout dat, Yami..." Joey said. "We was just playin' football, and, uh-"  
  
"Please don't talk to me, Joey," Yami said stiffly. He turned and slowly marched into the house.  
  
Amidst the new silence, Tristan stifled a laugh. Bakura shot him a side glance. Both boys suddenly burst out laughing. Joey, unlike himself, did not join in, but instead walked over the whimpering Kurai.  
  
"Yami mad?" he asked fearfully. Joey crouched in front of him.  
  
"Well, yeah," he said. He quickly added, "but not at you!" when he noticed Kurai's lip tremble. Joey picked up the nervous magician and placed him on his shoulders.  
  
"It'll be okay," he said kind-heartedly. "C'mon, let's go see how Yami's doin'..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yami sat alone in the waiting room of the hospital, the offending football still stuck in his left eye. He kept on his dueling face, despite the obvious pain he was in. He did not get hurt, and he never showed pain.  
  
Yami's good eye acknowledged a girl walk into the room on crutches. She glanced at Yami, obviously noticing the object in his eye, before making her way to the empty seat next to him. She picked up a magazine from the coffee table and proceeded to read.  
  
Silence passed. The girl occasionally glanced to the side at Yami, who continued to keep his serious expression.  
  
"So," Yami said, breaking the silence, "what happened to you?" The girl didn't look up from her magazine.  
  
"Car accident," she said. "Broke my leg. I'm here for a checkup." She paused. "What happened to you?"  
  
"Football."  
  
"Ah."  
  
More silence.  
  
"You like football?" the girl asked. Yami slowly turned to face her.  
  
"Not... anymore."  
  
The girl lowered in her seat. "Okay, I was just asking..." she said. "It's a good healthy sport, you know." Yami's good eye twitched.  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"That's nice."  
  
The doctor walked in. "Yami Mutou?" he called. Yami rose from his chair and walked into the next room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Back at the Mutou residence, the gang was worried sick about Yami... not.  
  
"HAH! I win again!"  
  
"Man, Yuge, you always beat us!"  
  
"What do you expect? He's a game expert."  
  
"Oh yeah? Well, I'll show ya who's a game expert!"  
  
Joey started another game and was soon at the mercy of Tristan and Yugi. Téa, Bakura, and Kurai sat on the couch and watched the three boys duke it out on Super Smash Bros. Melee. Kurai sat between the two teens, Kitty laying contently in his lap. The game they were watching came quickly to an end, and Yugi once again emerged victorious.  
  
"Hey, you guys?" Téa spoke up. "Do you think Yami's okay?" The others looked over.  
  
"Now that you mention it, he has been gone quite a while," Yugi said. "Do you think it's serious?"  
  
"Nah, he's probably fine," Tristan said. "You can never get that guy down." Yugi smiled.  
  
"You know, Yami's always done so much for us," he said. "Maybe we should do something for him."  
  
"Like what?" asked Joey, turning off the GameCube.  
  
"I dunno, maybe we could make him something..." Yugi said.  
  
"You mean make him some food?" Joey asked eagerly. "Oh, come on, Yuge, can we? Please?!"  
  
"It would be rather fun," Bakura agreed. "But what should we make him?" Kurai gasped in anticipation and waved his hand.  
  
"You have an idea, Kurai?" Yugi asked. Kurai nodded. He lifted the young cat off of him and got off the couch. Grabbing Yugi's hand, he led the teen into the kitchen while the others followed. Kurai gestured to a large, red cookbook on the counter.  
  
"What, this?" Tristan asked, taking the book down for Kurai. Kurai nodded and grabbed it, putting it on the floor. He flipped through the pages until he found what he wanted.  
  
"Cake! Cake!" Kurai cried with excitement, pointing to a recipe. Everyone looked at the page. It was a recipe for a devil's food cake.  
  
"Hey, a devil's food cake would be great!" Téa said.  
  
"You're right!" Yugi agreed. "But... how did Kurai know how to look in a cookbook?"  
  
"Who cares, let's get bakin'!" Joey cried.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Not long afterwards, almost everything was set up. A large bowl was set on the kitchen table, and ingredients were soon added into it.  
  
"Okay, it says we need three squares of unsweetened chocolate..." Yugi said, looking at the list of ingredients. "Téa, can you take care of that?"  
  
"Sure thing, Yugi," Téa said.  
  
"Hmm," Yugi continued, "cake flour, salt, margarine, eggs, we have all that... oh, baking soda. Joey, can you look to see if we have any of that?"  
  
"No prob', Yuge!" Joey said, winking. He left to go search the pantry.  
  
"Okay, Bakura, you can boil the water," Yugi said, pointing to the white- haired teen, "and Tristan can get the frosting and the buttermilk." Both boys went to get their assigned ingredients.  
  
Yugi suddenly felt a small tug on his pant leg. He looked down to see Kurai smiling up at him.  
  
"Me help?" he asked with childish innocence. Yugi smiled, reaching down to pick Kurai up.  
  
"Of course you can," Yugi said. "When we get all the stuff in the bowl, you can help stir, okay?"  
  
"Kay!" Kurai said, hugging the teen around the neck.  
  
Soon, the baking of the cake had begun. All of the ingredients were accounted for, and now they only needed to get the right amount of everything. Kitty was constantly watching the teenagers and the chibi as they prepared the soon-to-be treat. Every now and then he would get free samples of frosting, buttermilk, frosting, buttermilk, margarine, and of course, the buttermilk... and frosting.  
  
As they began to add the chocolate, however, Yugi's ears perked at a familiar sound; someone had entered the Game Shop entrance. Yugi raced to the stairs and listened; he blanched and ran back to the others.  
  
"What is it, Yugi?" Téa asked, aware of Yugi's sudden nervousness.  
  
"You guys, Yami's back!" Yugi cried.  
  
"WHAT?! Oh no, he'll find out about the cake!" Tristan exclaimed.  
  
"Quick! Somebody go get another football!"  
  
"JOEY!!!" everyone cried in unison.  
  
"Sorry..."  
  
"Everyone hide!" Yugi cried. There was a sudden scramble throughout the kitchen to find suitable hiding places. In the end, Joey and Tristan managed to fit together in the oven, which was not on, Kurai and Kitty were hid in the microwave, also not on, Téa went under the table, concealed by the length of the tablecloth, and Bakura... was on the ceiling fan. Don't ask.  
  
Yugi quickly turned as Yami made his way into the kitchen. The short teen had to force back a laugh at the sight of the swelling black eye on Yami's face.  
  
"I don't want to hear it," Yami said, as if reading Yugi's mind. Yami glanced around. "Where is everyone?"  
  
"Um, they left a while ago," Yugi lied. "They said they hoped you'd get better." Yami apparently believed him, because he nodded and leaned back against the wall. It was at that time that Yugi realized all of the baking materials were still about. As if reading his thoughts, a hand silently but quickly shot out of the oven, grabbing the bowl and its contents and pulling it back into the oven. Yugi mentally sighed in relief.  
  
"So, um, what are you going to do now, Yami?" Yugi asked, eager to get him out of the house, which was totally unlike himself to do so. Yami shrugged.  
  
"I don't know," he admitted. "I might just go take a nap... my eye is killing me..." Yugi felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He looked up at Bakura, who signaled that he wouldn't be able to stay on the ceiling fan much longer. Yugi struggled for a line.  
  
"Hey, Yami!" he practically cried. "Don't you have to duel Kaiba today?" Yami paled; his good eye widened. His other was almost swollen shut.  
  
"Oh, Gods, Yugi, why did you have to remind me of that?" Yami moaned. "I suppose I do have to keep my promise... I guess I'll be seeing you-"  
  
"Yep, see you, Yami, break a leg, have a good time, and keep up that winning streak!" Yugi said, all the while pushing Yami down the stairs, into the Game Shop, and out the door. Yami couldn't protest as the door was shut in his face.  
  
Yugi sighed in relief and ran back upstairs. The others were beginning to come out of hiding. Tristan helped Kurai and Kitty out of the microwave. Bakura carefully got down from the ceiling fan.  
  
"So, uh, where were we?" Yugi said as Joey placed the bowl back on the counter.  
  
Everyone was back on track. More and more ingredients were put into the bowl. The cake would be ready soon.  
  
"Tristan... you're supposed to crack the eggs before you put them into the bowl..."  
  
"Oh... whoops."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Sooo... Yami," Seto finally said. "What's your deal?"  
  
"SILENCE! I must concentrate."  
  
"Yami, you've been standing there for over thirty minutes, and you STILL haven't made a move yet," Seto said, getting impatient. "If you're not going to move, you might as well forfeit the duel..."  
  
"You know what, Kaiba?!" Yami said, slamming his cards down. "If you've ever known what it's like to duel with only ONE eye, you'd know how I feel right now."  
  
"Pegasus dueled with only one eye, and he-"  
  
"I don't CARE, Kaiba!" Yami shouted, picking his cards back up. "Just give me another minute or so..." Seto sighed.  
  
This would take a while...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Alright, we're almost there, guys!" Yugi said. "Joey, could you put in the baking soda? The amount's in the cookbook."  
  
"Gotcha, Yugi!" Joey said, bending to read the text. "Okay, whadda we got 'ere... baking soda, '2 t.s.p.'" He paused. "Hm, 't.s.p'? Eh... okay." Joey reached into the bag of baking soda and scooped out the right amount.  
  
"Come on, Kurai, you can help stir," Tristan said, lifting the chibi up. Bakura handed him a wooden spoon and Kurai began to gently stir the batter.  
  
"You got the baking soda yet, Joey?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Yup!" Joey said. "I'll get it in for ya!" Tristan lowered Kurai down to the ground as Joey finished up the rest of the work. The batter was soon collected and put into the cake pan, which was then put into the oven and set to baking.  
  
Everyone seemed to sigh in satisfaction as the cooking task was near to completion. Kitty proceeded to lick up what was left in the bowl as everybody relaxed.  
  
"Well you guys, for once everything turned out great," Tristan said, leaning back against the counter.  
  
"I concur," Bakura said, stretching his arms. "Oh, by the way, Joey, you did remember to put in the baking soda, didn't you?"  
  
"'Course I did!" Joey laughed. "I'm not THAT stupid!" Téa picked up the cookbook.  
  
"Well, we might have put in a little more of everything than what was listed in the book," she said. "Two teaspoons of baking soda should be enough." Joey suddenly paled.  
  
"'Teaspoons?'" he stammered. "You mean that's what those letters meant?" Everyone turned to Joey.  
  
"Well, yeah, Joey," Yugi said. "I mean, what did you think 't.s.p' stood for?"  
  
"Eh... 'ten square pounds?'"  
  
The oven began to shake, slightly at first, but then violently.  
  
"Joey."  
  
"Uh, yeah, Yuge?"  
  
"Remind me to never let you near a cookbook again."  
  
"Eh, sure thing."  
  
The oven door began to rattle loudly. The whole kitchen seemed to shake.  
  
"SHE'S GONNA BLOW!" Tristan shouted.  
  
"TAKE COVER!!!"  
  
Kurai quickly reached up to grab Kitty, and was quickly grabbed by Yugi, who then followed the others out of the kitchen and down the stairs, just as the oven exploded, sending cake batter everywhere. The teens, chibi and cat ran for their lives as the batter began to take over the entire house.  
  
Everyone ran into the Game Shop. Joey turned to shut the door before the batter overcame him. More swept through the doorway until the entire room was flooded with the stuff.  
  
"What do we do, Yugi?!" cried Téa.  
  
"I don't know!" Yugi cried back, trying to keep Kurai above the flowing mess. "It's not like this has ever happened before!"  
  
"We gotta get to the door!" Tristan said, making his way over. He grasped the doorknob and pulled. The door wouldn't budge.  
  
"Just GREAT!" Tristan shouted.  
  
"What is it?" Bakura cried, up to his neck in the chocolate flood.  
  
"We're all gonna drown in cake batter, guys!" Tristan shouted again. "Just be glad this stuff hasn't heated up yet!"  
  
"Aw, come on, guys!" Joey said. "Look on the bright side!" Everyone looked at him. "If we live, we won't get hungry!"  
  
Joey was rewarded with five handfuls of devil's food cake batter aimed at his face.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yami walked home, a partially-satisfied smirk on his face. He had beaten Seto, yet again, but he had lost so much free time while doing so. The loss of sight in his left eye had forced him into having thirty minute turns throughout the entire duel.  
  
The former pharaoh made his way to the Game Shop entrance. He pulled out his house key and looked down at it. This, and the additional fact he couldn't see in his left eye, caused him to be completely oblivious to the fact that the entire Game Shop was gradually filling with cake batter. However, he continued to stare at the key. He narrowed his one eye.  
  
"You mock me, too?"  
  
He turned the key this way and that for no apparent reason. The Game Shop, meanwhile, was still rapidly filling with the sweet batter. Still, Yami didn't notice, not even when six familiar figures began to pound helplessly on the windows, yelling at him.  
  
Yami was still examining the key. He ran a finger down it and then, just for good measure, ran his tongue across it. He smacked his lips a couple times.  
  
Silence.  
  
Silence...  
  
...and more silence.  
  
"Yep, it's a key alright."  
  
Yami placed the key into the keyhole and turned it.  
  
"Yugi, I'm ho-" He was unable to finish as the tidal wave of cake batter washed over him mercilessly. The six figures inside washed out with it, and soon the width of the street was completely covered.  
  
"FREEDOM!" Joey cried triumphantly as he surfaced. The others surfaced as well.  
  
"Man, if there's one lesson I've learned from all this" Téa said, "it's that you should NEVER cook when Joey's around..." The spot where Yami was located began to move slightly, indicating he was surfacing.  
  
"Uh, guys?" Yugi said. "Maybe we should just, um, go?" He emphasized the word "go". The others quickly agreed and made a swift run for it. Yami finally surfaced. He smacked his lips.  
  
"Devil's food cake?" he said to himself. He sighed and held his head in his hands. "Chibified magicians, kittens, shopping with Kaiba, flying footballs, giant waves of cake batter... I think I should have stayed in the puzzle..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shinimegami: Okay, the ending REALLY sucked...  
  
Yami: I licked a key...?  
  
Shinimegami: Okay, readers, if ANYBODY has an idea for a better ending than this one, please let me know in your reviews. If I see one I like, I'll put it in! So please, submit your ideas! The winner will receive, um, this rock. *holds up rock*  
  
Yami: Why did I lick a key...?  
  
Tristan: Please. Nobody's gonna want a rock for a prize.  
  
Shinimegami: Don't push me, kid, I'm improvising here.  
  
Joey: You actually think you can fit 20 lbs² of baking soda into one cake?  
  
Shinimegami: It's funny. That's why I put it in the story. Funny stuff doesn't have to make sense.  
  
Joey. Oh.  
  
Yami: Shinimegami, why did you make me lick a key?  
  
Shinimegami: Oh, uh, see... I sorta came up with the idea when I was brushing my teeth one night... and the thought just wouldn't leave me alone after that... It was just too funny, you know?  
  
Yami: But... I licked a KEY...  
  
Shinimegami: *turns to readers* Okay, peeps, I'll leave you all with an apology for not updating FOREVER. The life of a high school Sophomore is sad, ne? However, I'm planning to update "Return of the Shadow Games" next, for those of you who read that story as well.  
  
Readers who do: FINALLY!!!  
  
Shinimegami: ^-^ Yes, I know. Okay, the little purple button is waiting to be clicked now! Go on, you know you want to! And remember, submit your ideas for an ending for this chapter! Thankies! Ja Ne! ^.~ 


	8. Lessons In Life

Shinimegami: 200 REVIEWS!!! (faints)  
  
Yami: Well that's just great. She faints before she even posts the chapter.  
  
Bakura: She seems to do that sometimes...  
  
Tristan: How long do you think it'll be?  
  
Bakura: (checks watch) I'd say right about... now.  
  
Shinimegami: (gets up) A BIG thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it!   
  
Bakura: Told you.  
  
Shinimegami: And I know I said I was gonna work on "Return of the Shadow Games" first, but I just had to get this chapter done. But a little warning before you read on... If you don't like the idea of little animals dying, you might want to skip over a bit of this chapter... Aw, crap, that just gave most of the chapter away. Oh well. Just read and try to enjoy...  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
............................................................................ .......................  
  
On the fourth sunny day in a row in the city of Domino, all was well. It was a peaceful Wednesday afternoon, particularly beautiful in the midst of the town. All was relatively quiet... minus the numerous giggles emitting from the backyard behind the Game Shop.  
  
Kurai threw the multicolored cat ball across the yard again, giggling when Kitty scampered clumsily after it. The kitten pounced, tackling the ball and proceeding to gnaw on it. Kurai ran over and stroked the grey fur, earning a light purr from Kitty.  
  
Yami smiled from his seat in the deck chair, laughing lightly when Kurai threw the toy again. The child seemed to adore that little cat. Kitty didn't seem to mind Kurai, either. The two appeared to be made for one another. They got along so well... which was especially good news for when Yugi went to school.  
  
Before Kitty was brought in, Kurai had always protested when Yugi went to school. But who could blame the little mage? Yugi was the person he was most familiar with, the one Kurai chose to be his protector and playmate. It was a miracle that Kitty came into Kurai's life... He never had to be lonely anymore...  
  
Yami snapped out of his thoughts as Yugi's grandpa opened the patio door.  
  
"Yami, you've got a phone call," he said. "It's Seto Kaiba. He says something about wanting a rematch." Yami silently cursed under his breath and stood. He stretched briefly and turned to the door. Taking one last look over his shoulder to check on Kurai, he left the backyard.  
  
Soon, the makeshift game of fetch became tiresome, and Kurai fell out onto the grass. He panted slightly, turning to look where Kitty went off to. He was over by the flower bed, crouched down, staring at something.  
  
"Kitty?" Kurai asked, sitting up. He slowly made it onto his feet and walked over to see what Kitty was looking at. No sooner did Kurai lower his head, something colorful flew out of the midst of the flowers, fluttering away. Kurai tilted his head to the side. He'd seen these things before!  
  
"Budderfwy!" he cried happily. Kitty was apparently happy, too. His tail twitched at the end, and he bounded after the butterfly, occasionally jumping and swiping at it. Both cat and mage followed the insect, until it flew over the fence and out of their reach.  
  
"Bye-bye, budderfwy!" Kurai called, waving good-bye. Kitty, however, seemed to have other plans. The young cat scampered over to the bottom of the fence, where a reasonably-small hole stood out. Kitty instantly ran through it, continuing his chase of the butterfly.  
  
"Kitty, no!" Kurai exclaimed, bending down to look through the hole. Getting onto his hands and knees, the chibi crawled through the hole as well, standing up to find himself on the sidewalk of an empty street. He glanced around for any sign of the grey kitten, quickly turning at the faint mewling sound. Kitty was down the sidewalk, jumping at his prey.  
  
"Kitty!" Kurai ran forward towards Kitty, hoping to catch him before he ran away again. However, the butterfly flew quickly to the left, causing Kitty to follow. Kurai stopped to catch his breath, turning to watch Kitty run into the street...  
  
...and into the path of an oncoming car.  
  
Kurai's eyes grew.  
  
The butterfly out of his reach, Kitty looked up.  
  
Time stopped.  
  
Kurai quickly buried his face in his hands as the car passed, never attempting to stop, but the damage was done. The little mage peeked through his tiny fingers, his shocked blue eyes locking onto the small bundle of grey fur that lay in the middle of the street. Kurai lowered his hands slowly, hesitantly, afraid to move. No more cars were coming, so he stepped out onto the street.  
  
To Kurai, Kitty appeared to be sleeping. The kitten lay unmoving on the pavement, a large section of its middle appearing to be flattened. Kurai bent down and fearfully lifted the cat up, holding it as he would any other time.  
  
"Kitty...?"  
  
There was no response. The kitten still ceased to move. It was clear that Kitty wasn't breathing; his chest wasn't rising or falling.  
  
"...Kitty...?"  
  
Still nothing. Tears dripped down the chibi's cheeks, some into the midst of the grey fur. Kurai carefully carried Kitty out of the street, onto the sidewalk. What was he supposed to do? Why wasn't Kitty moving...?  
  
"...Kitty..."  
  
Kurai began to walk down the sidewalk, reaching the corner where the Game Shop was. He turned and walked up to the entrance, reaching up with one hand for the door handle. He couldn't reach it. A whimper caught in his throat, Kurai leaned against the shop's wall. Surely Yami and Grandpa didn't know where he was... and Yugi was at school... Kurai slid down to the ground and hugged the kitten to him.  
  
He would just have to wait for Okaa-san to get home...  
  
.................................................  
  
When Yugi reached his street, he could already tell something was wrong. He picked up the pace, walking more quickly. He could see people glancing towards the Game Shop door, but why? They seemed worried... and people don't look worried when admiring a game exhibit.  
  
He could see why when he was mere feet from home: Kurai sat outside the door, something curled up in his arms, and he looked like he had been crying... Yugi finished the distance with a run; Kurai instantly looked up.  
  
"Kurai, what are you doing out here?" Yugi cried, bending down. "How long have you been out here? What—" He stopped talking when Kurai held out something to him.  
  
"Kitty won't wake up," Kurai said quietly. "Why?" Yugi's face fell. He slowly reached out and took the kitten from Kurai. The boy could tell what was wrong the instant he touched the animal's body.  
  
"Oh no..."  
  
"Yugi...?" Yugi looked up at Kurai, his expression saddened.  
  
"Kurai, I'm so sorry..." he said, barely above a whisper. "Kitty... Kitty's dead..." Kurai sniffled.  
  
"Dead...?" he said with apparent confusion. Yugi nodded.  
  
"Yeah, it means..." Yugi struggled with words. "It's like... being asleep, forever... never waking up..." Kurai's eyes filled with unshed tears.  
  
"No come back...?"  
  
"No, Kurai..." Yugi said with sorrow. "He won't come back..."  
  
Kurai began to cry. Yugi placed Kitty's body beside his knee, reaching over and pulling Kurai into his arms. The child sobbed helplessly into his protector's shirt, his back hitching roughly. Passerby cast them worried glances, but Yugi paid them no attention. All that mattered to him at that moment was Kurai... He held him for what seemed like eternity, soothing the child down to muffled whimpers. Yugi finally sighed; it was beginning to get dark.  
  
/Yami.../  
  
-/Yugi? Good, you're home. Listen, we can't find Kurai. He's been missing for almost two hours—/-  
  
/He's right here, Yami.../ Yugi replied. /I've got him.../  
  
-/Oh, thank Ra, Grandpa and I were so worried. Is Kitty there, too?/-  
  
/.../  
  
-/...Yugi?/-  
  
/...Go and find a shoe box, Yami.../  
  
-/Yugi? Why—/-  
  
/Please, Yami, just get a shoe box... I can't talk about it right now.../  
  
-/...Alright, aibou./-  
  
.................................................  
  
"So... he's still thinkin' about it?"  
  
"Yeah... he's been sitting at the window almost all day today... I'm worried, Joey."  
  
"Yeah, I know what ya mean. It's hard for kids when dey experience death at an age dat early..."  
  
"I know..." Yugi nervously twirled the phone cord around his fingers. "I just wish there was something I could do..." On the other line, Joey sounded like he was thinking.  
  
"Well, I could round up da guys and we could come ova..." Joey offered. "We could think of somethin' to do to cheer 'im up."  
  
"Okay... it'd be worth a shot," Yugi replied. "Come over any time."  
  
"Alright..." Joey quietly agreed. "I'll see ya in a bit, Yuge."  
  
"Bye..." Yugi hung up the phone, sighing as he turned back to Kurai. The chibi was sitting at the glass patio door, looking out into the backyard and into the flower bed where Kitty was buried. For the past few days, Kurai had done the exact same thing: just sitting and watching Kitty's grave. Yugi had dismissed it the first day, since he knew how much Kurai loved Kitty, but now he was worrisome.  
  
Yugi collapsed onto the couch, sighing again in exhaustion. He couldn't remember any other day he felt this depressed. His violet eyes glanced around the room randomly... landing on the Dark Magician plushie on the coffee table. Yugi shut his eyes tightly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He missed how happy Kurai used to be before Kitty died. He wanted it all to come back...  
  
The sound of Kurai getting up off the floor sounded in Yugi's ears, and he felt partly relieved; at least Kurai seemed to be moving around a bit more. The sound of Kurai moving traveled to what Yugi assumed was the coffee table, then back over to the couch... where Yugi was.  
  
Yugi opened his eyes to find himself being greeted with Kurai standing in front of him, holding out the Dark Magician plushie to him. Yugi smiled, reaching out and taking the toy. Kurai hoisted himself onto the couch and crawled up next to Yugi, leaning into the boy's side. Yugi placed an arm around Kurai's shoulder, hugging him to him.  
  
"Yugi?" Kurai asked quietly.  
  
"Mm?" Yugi said, relieved that Kurai was still talking to him.  
  
"Where Kitty now?" Yugi took a breath, wondering how to explain.  
  
"He's... in Heaven," he replied, finally. At Kurai's confused look, he added, "It's a big, beautiful place, where no one gets hurt and everyone's happy... Nothing bad can happen..."  
  
"Kitty happy?"  
  
"Yes..." Yugi said, pulling Kurai closer. "Kitty's happy. And he's always watching you, Kurai. Even if you can't see him, he's watching you..." Yugi playfully poked Kurai's nose, earning a small giggle. "You know, someday you might get to play with him again..." Kurai seemed to perk up at the statement.  
  
"When?"  
  
"Probably not for a long, long time," Yugi said, smiling slightly. "But... I'll always be here for you." Kurai smiled and snuggled deeper into Yugi's side.  
  
"Aways?"  
  
"...Always."  
  
.................................................  
  
By the time Joey and the others had shown up, Kurai had perked up considerably. Just the knowledge that Kitty was somewhere safe had cheered him up greatly. The others were happy to hear the news; they hadn't come up with any ways of cheering Kurai up on their own, so it gave them one less thing to do.  
  
But on the other hand... everyone was now bored. B-O-R-E-D. Bored.  
  
"Guys, I'm bored," Tristan said.  
  
"We know, Tristan," Téa said through gritted teeth. "We've only known the past forty-three times you've said so."  
  
"Oh... sorry," Tristan said, sheepishly.  
  
"Maybe we could go out and do something...?" Bakura suggested. "It's better than sitting here and listening to how bored Tristan is."  
  
"Or we could cook somethin' again!" Joey suddenly exclaimed, rising from his seat. "Maybe this time, we could make—" The blonde was suddenly cut off as a couch cushion made direct contact with his face.  
  
"Nice shot, little guy!" Tristan cried, giving Kurai a high-five. Kurai giggled.  
  
"Aw, c'mon, guys!" Joey pleaded. "You didn't think I actually meant it, right? I mean—" Another cushion hit him in the eyes. "Yugi!"  
  
"Sorry, Joey," Yugi said, obviously not sorry at all.  
  
"Guys, seriously this isn't—" Two more cushions from Téa and Bakura. Joey growled.  
  
"Dat's it, guys, stop it!" Joey shouted, reaching down and picking up two of the cushions. "Either dat, or prepare yourselves for da most unpleasant pillow fight of ya lives!"  
  
Silenced filled the room for about a minute, finally broken by a sudden outburst from Bakura.  
  
"PILLOW FIGHT!!!"  
  
For the next hour and a half, the living room of the Mutoh residence was a war zone. Pillows and cushions were flying, as well as the occasional Joseph Wheeler, while the pillow war commenced. It would have gone on longer, had Yami not walked in and gotten one right in the face. Of course, being the Game King, Yami joined in, quickly kicking the stuffing out of all who opposed him, with the acceptation of Kurai, who merely giggled himself to death on the sidelines.  
  
Now, the gang plus Kurai lay spread out on the living room floor, completely exhausted. The only sounds that could be heard were the many panting breaths and the sprinkling rain outside. Wait... it was raining?  
  
"Hey, you guys, look!" Téa said, pointing outside. "It's raining, but the sun's still out!" The others got up to look outside.  
  
"I've heard of this happening," Bakura said. "Sometimes, you can tell it's going to rain soon if it sprinkles while the sun's still out. If the rain is warm, you can tell there's going to be a downpour later." (A/N. I think this is actually true. It's happened where I live sometimes. Warm rain is so cool! It's fun to play in! Which is why...)  
  
"Then let's get out dere before it gets cold!" Joey exclaimed, heading for the door. Sure enough, when everyone got outside, the rain was warm. The rain began to come down harder over time, getting a little colder, until the sun disappeared behind rain clouds. Nevertheless, the gang continued to dance in the rain, splashing each other in newly formed puddles.  
  
Kurai suddenly ran over, tackling Téa, who then ran into Tristan, causing him to knock over Yugi, who fell into Bakura, who tripped and accidentally pushed Joey into a HUGE puddle. The blonde pushed himself up, spitting out rain water. He turned a playful glare to the others.  
  
"You know what dis means, right...?" After a small silence, Joey finally grabbed Bakura and pushed him into another puddle. The silver- haired teen shook his head vigorously, quickly getting up and pushing Joey back into the puddle, who, this time, grabbed Tristan. And when both were up again, they grabbed someone else... and so on and so forth... until the entire gang was drenched in the rain.  
  
Soon, thunder was heard above the skies. The five teens and chibi, who were now soaked to the bone, finally decided to call it quits and go back inside.  
  
Mr. Mutoh brought in several blankets, and even prepared hot chocolate for them all. They thanked him and, after drying off as best they could, settled underneath the weight of the warm blankets. Kurai curled up in Yugi's lap, thankful for the extra warmth, and extremely grateful when Joey and Tristan sat on either side of Yugi, adding more.  
  
"Did you have fun?" Yugi asked, pulling another blanket around Kurai and himself.  
  
"Mm-hmm..." Kurai answered, nuzzling into Yugi's chest.  
  
"Me, too." Yugi relaxed on the couch, content with all of the warmth surrounding him. He slowly began to drift off into sleep, yet still fully aware of the resting child in his lap. Yugi smiled, about to close his eyes and welcome the embrace of sleep...  
  
Then Kurai vanished.  
  
............................................................................ .......................  
  
Shinimegami: DUN DUN DUUUUUNNN!!!  
  
Yugi: Kurai? (looks around desperately) Kurai! (runs over to Shinimegami and proceeds to strangle her) WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH KURAI??!?  
  
Shinimegami: Ack... It's... just... part of... the story line (manages to point) He's... right... over there...  
  
Kurai: (sitting in his seat, watching Yugi)  
  
Yugi: (let's Shinimegami go) Oh... never mind. (sits back down)  
  
Shinimegami: Uh... anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I pulled it all off in a one-niter, just so you know...  
  
Yami Bakura: You killed Kitty!  
  
Shinimegami: Um, yeah, I know. I felt really bad and stuff, but— (pause) Waiiiiit a minute... you don't even LIKE Kitty!  
  
Yami Bakura: (flushes and stammers out) I have a soft side, okay?!  
  
Shinimegami: (smirks) Yeah, okay. (turns back to readers) Yes, I'm SORRY I killed Kitty... but the idea wouldn't leave me ALONE!!! I just had to make it into a chapter! I still feel guilty, for those of you who think that just because I'm the Goddess of Death I'm heartless! (pause) Because, well, technically, I AM, but still—  
  
Yugi: (whacks Shinimegami with the Unnecessarily Large Mallet of DOOM) Shut up. Just remember to review and tell Shinimegami what you thought. Thanks!  
  
Kurai: Bye-bye! (waves to you cutely) 


	9. Goodbye Is Never Easy

Shinimegami: (comes into the studio dragging half a dozen suitcases and bags)  
  
Bakura: (blinks) Um... vacation...?  
  
Shinimegami: (drops the baggage, causing the entire room to shake) Yep.  
  
Bakura: Thought so.  
  
Shinimegami: Yeah, I just got back from a 5-day vacation in Redding. And it was reeeaaally hot down there... (tugs at her collar, causing steam to rise from it)  
  
Joey: Whoa... that hot?  
  
Shinimegami: Yep. (pause) Story time! (bounds over to the computer and gets the chapter ready)  
  
Seto: (bored) Yep... Another chapter, another chunk of my life wasted...  
  
Yami: (yawns) Shut up, Seto.  
  
Seto: ...  
  
Shinimegami: (finishes) Well, you guys, this is it: the last chapter.  
  
Everyone: (snaps their heads towards Shinimegami)  
  
Yugi: You're kidding.  
  
Shinimegami: Uh, no, I'm not.  
  
Yugi: But... what's gonna happen to Kurai...?  
  
Shinimegami: Duh! That's what the chapter's for! (turns to readers) Yes, I know, I don't want it to end either... BUT! If you all read the chapter, I'll reveal something to you at the end... and you won't hate me as much... mwahaha...  
  
Everyone: ...  
  
Shinimegami: ...uh... yeah. Okay, chapter time! Enjoy the finale!  
  
............................................................................ .......................  
  
"Kurai?!"  
  
Joey and Tristan's eyes snapped open, their peaceful rest disrupted by the sudden outburst from Yugi. Téa and Bakura sat up quickly from their seat on the floor. Yugi threw the woolen blanket off of him and leapt off the couch, his violet eyes filled with panic.  
  
"Yugi...?" Joey said, struggling with an oncoming yawn. "What's wrong?"  
  
"It's Kurai!" Yugi cried again, searching the area around the couch desperately. "He was here! He was right here, in my arms, and then he just vanished!" Tristan rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Yugi, what do you mean 'vanished'?" he asked, sitting up. "Vanished as in 'missing', or vanished as in—"  
  
"Into thin air!" Yugi shouted, running from his position to look behind the couch. "I don't know what happened... he was here... and then he was gone..."  
  
"I'm going to get Yami," Bakura said, rising from the floor. "He might know what's going on." Yugi nodded nervously as Bakura ran upstairs to find the spirit. Yugi found nothing behind the couch, only raising his fear. He seated himself back on the couch, silently biting his finger in nervousness. Joey frowned and placed an arm around his friend's shoulder.  
  
"'Ey, don't worry, Yuge," he said comfortingly. "We'll find Kurai, man, don't you worry. You'll get 'im back soon." Yugi, on the verge of tears, carefully nodded. He hoped Joey was right...  
  
Soon, Bakura returned down the stairs, a worried Yami right behind him.  
  
"Yugi!" Yami called out as he stopped in front of the boy. "What's wrong? What happened?"  
  
"Kurai's gone!" Yugi cried, standing up to face Yami. "He was right here, with me, and then he just vanished!"  
  
"Into thin air," Joey added, as not to confuse Yami with the meaning of "vanished".  
  
"Do you have any idea what's going on, Yami?" Yugi asked, pleadingly. Yami narrowed his eyes in thought. "Do you sense anything, Ya—"  
  
Before Yugi could complete his sentence, a sound like rushing wind echoed throughout everyone's ears. A sudden flash turned their attention to the corner of the room... where a frightened-looking Kurai lay.  
  
"Kurai!!!" Yugi shouted, rushing over to embrace the child, who desperately clung to the boy in return.  
  
"Yugi!" Kurai cried into the boy's shirt. "Wha happen?" He turned his tearful gaze up to Yugi. Yugi continued to soothe the crying child as he turned to look at Yami.  
  
"Yami," he began, "could you sense anything? Anything that might have caused this?" Yami looked thoughtful.  
  
"I could, but only for a mere second," Yami admitted. "Right before Kurai reappeared, I could sense a familiar power... I swear I've felt it before, but it was so brief, I couldn't identify it..." Yugi didn't know what to say, so he merely nodded.  
  
"Do you think it will happen again?" Yugi finally said.  
  
"I don't know..." Yami said quietly. He shook his head thoughtfully. "I just don't get it... that force felt so familiar... Almost like—"  
  
"Yugi!"  
  
Yugi's attention snapped back to Kurai, who was now rigid in his arms.  
  
"Kurai! What is it?!" Kurai looked up fearfully and, with a final gasp, disappeared.  
  
"KURAI!" Yugi looked at Yami, panicked. "Yami, it's happening again!"  
  
Yami closed his eyes and focused hard. After a few seconds, his third eye began to glow on his forehead.  
  
"I knew it..." the spirit whispered. He opened his eyes. "Yugi..." his eyes locked with Yugi's. "This power... it's coming from the Shadow Realm." Yugi's eyes widened.  
  
"No..." Yugi whispered painfully. "Kurai's... in the Shadow Realm...?" Inside, Yugi's heart was pleading for Kurai's return. He wanted him back... he wanted him back...  
  
The familiar rushing sound filled the room, and Kurai once again reappeared, this time next to the couch. Yugi let his unshed tears fall as he crossed the room again to comfort the sobbing child.  
  
"Yami...!" Yugi managed to choke out. "What's happening?!" Yami frowned and fell into deep thought again. The only sounds that could be heard were Kurai's muffled sobs and the sound of cracking thunder outside.  
  
"I wonder..." Yami said, finally. He turned and ran upstairs. The others got up to follow him, finding him standing in Yugi's bedroom, scanning through the Duel Monsters deck. He pulled out a particular card and looked at it.  
  
"It's as I thought..." he said quietly. Uneasiness fell throughout the room.  
  
"What is it, Yami...?" Yugi asked, fearing the worst. Yami turned around to look at Yugi sadly.  
  
"It's your cards, Yugi," Yami said, holding out the card in his hand. It was the blank Dark Magician card, and it was glowing.  
  
"What... what does it mean...?" Yugi asked hesitantly. Yami closed his eyes.  
  
"Yugi, I think... your cards... I think they're trying to get Kurai back..."  
  
.................................................  
  
Thunder continued to roll through the clouds over Domino City. And, if nobody knew better, it seemed to be occurring over a particular shop... which seemed to be radiating sadness...  
  
Yugi placed the small, purple helmet over Kurai's head, securing it gently. He picked up the miniature staff, trying desperately to hold back his tears as he handed it to the little mage.  
  
The others stood around the two, their faces filled with sadness. Since Kurai first appeared, Yugi could be considered happier, more cheerful, more confident. And now that he'd been told he had to give up one of the most prized gifts he had ever been given, his friends saw his happiness, his confidence, everything... simply disappear from his eyes. Once Kurai was gone... what would become of their beloved friend...?  
  
"Yugi...?" The small voice broke everyone out of their current thoughts. Kurai, now dressed in his regular attire, looked up worriedly at his protector. "Wha happening?" Yugi managed a painful smile.  
  
"Kurai..." he said softly, stroking the child's cheek. "I... I know that you want to stay with me... but..." Yugi broke off. Yami came over, kneeling down next to his light, squeezing his shoulder gently. Yugi gripped Yami's hand in his.  
  
"Kurai, it's really hard to say this..." Yugi continued, "but... it's... it's time for you to go back home..." Kurai's small, childish smile slowly fell.  
  
"No stay wit Yugi...?" he asked slowly, as if trying to take Yugi's words in. Yugi shook his head sadly.  
  
"No, you can't... you can't stay with Yugi..." Yugi's eyes grew in fear as Kurai's eyes filled with tears. "Kurai..." he reached out and hugged the child. "Yugi wants you to stay... but he can't... he can't do anything about this... I'm really sorry, Kurai..."  
  
On the verge of tears themselves, the others did their best to stay calm, for Kurai's sake. As Kurai looked over to them, they each did their best to manage reassuring smiles.  
  
No sooner had they done so, Kurai went rigid again. Everyone blanched; they knew what it meant.  
  
It was time to let Kurai go.  
  
Instinctively, Yugi tightened his grip on Kurai's body. Yami gripped his shoulder firmly, yet gently.  
  
"Yugi, you have to let him go," he soothed. "Let him go..."  
  
"Okaa-san!" Kurai cried out, seeming to flicker in Yugi's arms. Yugi's tears began to fall; Yami tightened his grip on his light's shoulder.  
  
"Yugi, please," he pleaded gently. "Your will to keep him here is the only thing blocking the spell. If you keep blocking, Kurai will end up being in pain. Please, Yugi, let him go..."  
  
Yugi squeezed his violet eyes shut, his grip on Kurai slowly loosening.  
  
"Yugi, please!" Yami cried to him. "If you can block your will long enough, the spell will come through! Yugi, I'm begging you!"  
  
Yugi's eyes slowly opened, his grip suddenly failing. Kurai slowly began to vanish. Yugi looked at Kurai's now transparent form, and before he disappeared completely, he made one last cry:  
  
"Okaa-san, I wuv you!"  
  
Then he was gone.  
  
Yugi shut his eyes again, gripping the carpet in his fingers. His breath came in quick pants as he struggled to block his will to bring Kurai back. Yami stood and closed his eyes, his third eye appearing as he focused his mind on the shadow magic. Joey and the others shared nervous glances as their friend tried to force the want for the one he loved most out of his mind.  
  
"Yami, how much longer?!" Téa cried out. "Yugi's hurting!" Yami gritted his teeth as he waited for the feeling of the Shadow Realm to vanish. Finally, it did. Yami released his focus and looked towards his light.  
  
"Alright, aibou," Yami said quietly, kneeling by the boy once more. "It's over... You can want him back all you want, now..."  
  
With a mournful cry, Yugi launched himself into his darker half's arms, sobbing pitifully into the fabric of his shirt. All the while, Yugi repeatedly wished for Kurai's return, but now matter how many times he pleaded with nothingness, Kurai did not reappear...  
  
Kurai would not come back...  
  
... Kurai was gone.  
  
.................................................  
  
"...Yami...?"  
  
Yami looked down at the boy in his arms. "Yes, Yugi?"  
  
"...Do you think he'll remember this?"  
  
Yami sighed softly. "I don't know, Yugi... He might..."  
  
"...I hope so..." Violet eyes locked onto the familiar plush toy on his bed. Yugi felt his eyes dampen.  
  
"I miss him already..." he whispered.  
  
"So do I, Yugi, so do I..." Yami said. A slight pause. "Shall I notify Grandpa when he returns from the store?"  
  
"...Go ahead. He'll find out anyway..."  
  
"...Alright." Yami rose from the floor and, with one last look at Yugi, left the room.  
  
After a few moments, Yugi also stood, looking over at the plushie again. He crossed the room and collapsed on the bed, grabbing the Dark Magician plushie and holding it to him. Tears assisted him in escorting him into an uneasy sleep. And just before Yugi fell into the depths of an unknown dreamland, he whispered five final words...  
  
"...I love you, too... Kurai..."  
  
.................................................  
  
OWARI  
  
............................................................................ .......................  
  
Shinimegami: Yes, the first story I ever finished... and I had to make it so SAD!!! (sob)  
  
Yugi: (glares daggers at Shinimegami)  
  
Shinimegami: ...Look, I'm SORRY! I had to end it SOME way!  
  
Yugi: ...You're mean.  
  
Shinimegami: (blinks) That's it?  
  
Yugi: (crosses arms and looks away from Shinimegami)  
  
Shinimegami: (sighs and turns to the readers) Okay, you guys, I know how you all hate me now... so here's that surprise I told you about! Ready? Here it is! (leans in and whispers) I'm posting a sequel! (does a celebration dance) And here's a twist! I'll write a one-shot story for the first reviewer to guess what the sequel will be about!  
  
MoonlitMeowth: (pops out of nowhere, looking hopeful)  
  
Shinimegami: NOT you! You already know what it's about!  
  
MoonlitMeowth: (face falls) Poopie. (walks away)  
  
Shinimegami: Anyway, yeah, so think hard! I'll contact the first person who guesses correctly and you can tell me what you want me to write about! Which means you MUST leave me with an e-mail address in your review if you choose to guess! Otherwise, I can't contact you! And remember, it's a ONE- SHOT story! No multiple chapters! I'm already behind on my other stories! Thankies! (grins)  
  
Yugi: You're still mean.  
  
Shinimegami: Meh. (shrugs) Oh, and one last thing! I have an art group dedicated to the Dark Magician/Yugi pairing! It's located on deviantART.com. You can all find the link to it on my profile page here on FF.Net. Those of you who like the pairing like I do can feel free to join! If you're already a member of deviantART.com, I'll put your avatar on the member's list! And if you're not a member, I'll recognize those of you here on my FF.Net profile.  
  
Yugi: Still mean!  
  
Shinimegami: (blinks) Okay, peoples! That's all! Remember to guess the sequel plot, check out my DM/Y art group, and REVIEW! I'll be sure to work on the sequel soon! Until then, thanks for reading my story, and ja ne! (waves) 


End file.
